More Like Her
by CrimsonShepard
Summary: Can Gibbs get her back after giving her what she doesn't know she wants? There are complications along the way especially Army Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann. Jibbs. AU.
1. Chapter 1

The doctor entered the exam room with the patient's file in his hand. He closed the door behind him and looked at the redhead as her piercing green eyes stared back at him.

"Ms. Shepard, all test results came back normal except for one," he told her, sitting down on the rolling stool. His patient was rarely sick. She usually came in only for yearly physicals.

"Except for one?" she questioned, attempting not to let her nervousness come through. She still had ambitions, and an illness was not in her five point plan even if her plan had slightly changed over the years.

"Yes, one," he said, looking up from the file. "You're pregnant."

She was silent for several minutes as her brain processed the information. "That…that's impossible. I'm on birth control. Do the test again."

"Birth control has its faults, and it was run twice. You are pregnant."

She swallowed hard and felt like she would have taken the news better if she had actually been told she was dying. She merely nodded her head and slipped off the exam table. "Thank you," she told him. She didn't care if the exam was over or not. She had to get out of the exam room. The walls were closing in on her or so it felt.

"I wrote a prescription for prenatal vitamins and another to ease the nausea," he informed her, tearing off the papers from his prescription pad.

She took the prescriptions from him and stuck them into her purse. "Anything else?" she asked, placing her hand on the doorknob.

"You'll need to schedule an appointment with your OB/GYN. Considering you're age, the pregnancy is considered high risk."

She rolled her eyes, not needing to be reminded of her age. Forty wasn't over the hill. You're only as old as you feel…that's what she had told herself since her birthday. "Thank you," she told him again and left the exam room.

As she sat in the back of the Lincoln Town Car on the way back to NCIS headquarters, her mind raced back over the last months. She thought of the night of her birthday. She hadn't wanted to celebrate her birthday, but Jethro had insisted on taking her out to dinner which was rare. The man had always preferred take out to a sit down meal. After a few drinks, they had wound up back at his place. The next morning, she woke up tangled in his arms and legs and naked in the hull of the boat. She would castrate him if he had done this to her. Her mind raced back before that to nearly four months ago. McGee had brought his scout troops to tour NCIS, and one of them had turned up as a missing child. Jethro had conned her into taking Carson Taylor, the nine year old boy, home with her.

_Four Months Ago…_

She opened her door and wasn't at all surprised to see Gibbs standing there.

"Surprised it to you so long to check up on me," she said to him with a wry grin. She moved her head back, signaling him to step inside.

He stepped inside and stood in front of her in the foyer of her home, waiting for her to close the heavy wood door.

"Except that's not why you're here…is it?"

Gibbs only looked down to where she kept her cell phone on the waist of her pants. She looked down and noticed it was missing. She laughed at herself, somewhat embarrassed at being fooled by a child.

"Explains where my cell phone went," she said, scratching the side of her head.

"Kids," Gibbs said, walking towards the study to talk to Carson. He had called him, needing to talk. She stood by the doorway and listened to Gibbs talk to the boy. He'd always had a way with children. She didn't think she had a way with children as he did and in a small way envied him for it. After the talk, Carson fell asleep in the study. Gibbs and Jenny took him up to bed in one of the guest rooms. Gibbs walked ahead of her down the stairs.

"He'll be fine," he said.

Jen nodded her head as she looked back up the stairs. "It's been a long time," she said, looking at him. "…us…together outside of the office."

"Paris…if you don't count hospitals and car chases," he replied, getting his coat.

"I don't."

He put on his coat and looked into her green eyes. He thought about Paris. Paris was one of the best times in his life, and it was all because of her presence.

"Once upon a time, I would have asked you to stay, and I wouldn't have taken no for an answer."

He looked at her, debating on what he should do. A glass of bourbon with her couldn't hurt. There would be nothing more. It would be a drink with an old partner after a long day of work. After all, she had told him there would be no outside the office activities with him. There had been a few occurrences. If he showed up on her doorstep or she showed up in his basement, the old spark between them reignited especially if she was being herself. Being herself meant she was Jenny…not the Director. There protective barrier was not between them.

She smiled softly and walked into the study with him following. She poured two glasses of bourbon. "I forgot."

"What?" he asked, throwing his coat onto the back of one of the chairs and walking over to her, standing inches from her.

"How good you are with kids."

He smirked. He wasn't an expert when it came to children, but it was easier to deal with them than adults. Children were too innocent to blatantly lie as adults did. He watched her finger trail over the rim of her glass, and her expression was thoughtful. He wondered how often she thought of Paris and if she was there now in her mind. "Jen, you ever think about having kids?"

"No," she answered quickly as she was snapped out of her thoughts.

"You're lying."

"I don't, Jethro."

"When you lie, your right eye twitches," he said, pointing to her right eye.

She sighed softly and took a sip from her glass. "I do…sometimes especially after a night like this one…but at my age, it's not going to happen. I have to accept that."

He knew she wasn't ever good with acceptance. Acceptance had been the hardest lesson he had taught her. Everything else had come so naturally to her when she was under his wing. In that moment, he decided what he would give her for her birthday. She deserved getting what she wanted on a personal level. It seemed as if she had everything, but everything was on a professional level. "You never know, Jen. It could still happen."

"Jethro, I made a choice years ago. I have to do what's best for me and not having a child is best."

He stared into her eyes, knowing that's what she told herself. It was too rehearsed to be the honest to God truth. He finished the rest of his bourbon in one gulp and left the study, grabbing his coat and walking out the door. When she heard the door close, she sighed heavily and finished her bourbon. There was another reason she would never have children. She pushed men away especially Jethro. Her defenses were up when it came to him. She'd let him in years ago, and her love for him had nearly destroyed everything she'd wanted for herself. If she didn't push him away, he walked away from her. She couldn't blame him for not wanting to be hurt by her a second time.

_Back to Present Day..._

She hadn't noticed the car coming to a stop, but Stanley opening her door refocused her attention. With a shake of her head, she tried to shake off the feelings from four months ago. At the moment, she felt numb and was still trying to process the information given to her earlier.

"Ma'am?"

"A lot on my mind, Stanley," she told him.

He nodded his head and closed her door once she slid out of the car. He made sure she entered the headquarters. She wasn't fond of being escorted into the building. She stepped into the elevator and wasn't paying attention when she hit the button. "Dammit," she cursed under her breath. She'd hit the floor to the squad room instead of the floor to her office. She took a deep breath, hoping and praying Jethro wouldn't be at his desk when she stepped out.

He heard the elevator doors open on his way to them. He needed a cup of coffee. It had been over two hours since his last cup. DiNozzo yelled at him, and he turned his head. Seconds later, he felt a body colliding into his chest. "Dam—Jen?" he questioned with concern after seeing her expression. He pulled her back into the elevator with him, pressing her floor number.

She shook her head and adjusted herself, not making eye contact with him. "I'm fine, Jethro. Was it necessary to pull me back into the elevator?"

He peered at her, instinct flaring up on him. She finally made eye contact with him, and he knew not to ask anymore by the look in her eyes. "You're fine," he said in mocking tone as he continued to read her like a bestseller. "Wanna get coffee?"

"No. I have work to do so do you."

"Want me to bring a cup back?"

"No, Jethro. I want you to leave me alone for the rest of the day if possible," she said firmly as she stepped out of the elevator.

He mumbled under his breath and watched her quickly walk towards her office. Someone must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, but he wouldn't know for sure. He hadn't woken up in her bed in quite some time. His gut was telling him there was something more than a bad day. As the elevator took him down, he thought about all the work he'd thrown away in the last month. He was sure he'd worked his way back into Jen's heart. She had never left his heart. However, Jen put the barricades back into place since he started seeing Hollis Mann.


	2. Chapter 2

Director Shepard stood in front of the window of her office, looking out over the Anacostia River. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Her hair needed a trim. Five minutes ago, she had hung up the phone after making an appointment with her OB/GYN. She still hadn't come to terms with the news given to her a few short hours ago. Jethro was the father. He had been the only person she had slept with since her birthday. The hours of her job didn't allow for suitors. She was not ready to tell him. For God's sake, she had barely been able to look at him in the elevator. Letting out a soft sigh, she was unsure if she would be able to tell him or anyone else. The logical part of her was telling her not to have the baby yet a small piece of her was telling her to have it. It would be nice to have something to focus on besides work and to leave a legacy behind. She shook her head and sat down in her desk chair, rubbing her brow and knowing she would need a large dose of aspirin.

"Be logical, Jenny. Don't listen to your heart. Remember the plan," she said aloud. However, the five point plan caused one of her biggest regrets in life…leaving Jethro. If she hadn't made the decision to leave him over ten years ago, she might be Jenny Gibbs and have a houseful of children instead of being Jennifer Shepard and having a houseful of old ghosts of her past mixed with silence. On the other hand, she might not be Director of NCIS if she had stayed with him. Jethro had been the one man to make her consider destroying her plans. She was broken out of her thoughts as Cynthia reminded her of a meeting with SecNav in MTAC.

For the rest of the day, she prayed Gibbs would not anger any other agencies. If he did, she would be entirely too tempted to pull out her gun and shoot him. She had thought about it many times before but couldn't find a way to justify the murder of an agent to SecNav. Gibbs must have taken her seriously in the elevator because she had not seen him. Honestly, her pounding headache couldn't bear him barging into her office and causing the noise of the heavy door hitting the wall. After 2100, she was still knee deep in paperwork. The last dose of aspirin was wearing off. She demanded Cynthia go home at 1900. There was no point in her secretary not having a life. Jen pushed herself up from the chair and walked barefoot into the outer office, sitting down at Cynthia's desk and rifling through the desk in search of aspirin. A bottle had to be in there somewhere although she'd prefer a large glass of bourbon. "Dammit," she whispered in frustration and slammed the drawer shut.

"You still here?"

"Jethro," she said in that annoyed pitch he found adorable.

"Well, are you?"

"No, I'm the Director's doppelganger." She moved onto another drawer in her search and smiled with delight at the sound of rattling.

"I never did know what that meant," he replied, taking a sip of his coffee and moving closer to the desk.

"Get a dictionary, Jethro! What do you want?" she asked, popping the bottle open and bumping out two pills.

"Got a headache, Jen?"

"Yes. You aren't helping it."

He smirked and followed into inside her office, watching her walk over to the small fridge in the corner and removing a bottle of water. "Maybe you should go home."

"I'll decide when I go home, Jethro," she said coolly as she sat down at her desk, putting her glasses back on. "You don't need to look after me."

"I used to."

"And you don't anymore."

He sat down on the couch and put his coffee cup on the table, expecting a glare when he looked up. Jen peered at him over her glasses and tapped her pen on the desk. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope," he replied.

Her eyes quickly scanned her desk for an object to throw at him. She contemplated throwing the stapler at his head. With her accuracy of aim and the weight of the stapler, Gibbs would have a concussion, and she wouldn't be any better off because she'd ultimately have to take care of him. The man was a terrible patient if injured or sick. He became ten times more stubborn and whined like a small child. She put her head in her hands and sighed heavily. She tensed when she felt his hands on her shoulders.

"You should go home, Jenny," he commanded softly as he began to massage her shoulders. "Relax."

"Jethro, what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"You're tense. I'm giving you a neck rub."

"I don't want a neck rub.

"You used to love my neck rubs. After a long day, you'd want a glass of bourbon, a neck rub, and then a bubble bath. You wouldn't get out until you were a prune."

She sighed at the thought of the routine. If she hadn't left him, her nights would still hold the routine. Jethro would give her a massage and run the bath without her having to ask. Her breath caught in a hitch as she thought of what the routine entailed on occasion. "I want you to leave."

"I'll leave if you do," he countered.

She mumbled under her breath about castrating him and how she should have followed through with her previous threats. If she had, she wouldn't be carrying his child. With no notice, she pushed her chair back and smirked when she heard Jethro groan. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was that your foot?"

"Redheads," he mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, glaring over her shoulder at him.

"Uh…that your hair's red, Jen."

"I thought so." Luckily, the look she gave him seconds ago still put fear for his life into him. He watched her gather her things and walked over to the sofa, picking up his coffee up and draining it. She glanced at him as she slipped into her coat and picked up her briefcase.

"Hey Jen."

"What?"

"I'll take you home."

"No."

"Yeah."

She rolled her eyes and didn't care to argue with him, but she wouldn't mind knocking him upside the head with the stapler. He attempted to take her briefcase from her, but she pulled back. He tugged a second time and gave her the Gibbs stare. "Stop being so damned difficult, Jen."

"Why are you being nice?"

"I'm a nice guy."

A not so delicate snort escaped from her before she erupted into more laughter as he walked out of the office ahead of her. He shook his head and listened to her laugh. She regained composure inside the elevator and cleared her throat. Silence settled upon them in the elevator and in the car. She leaned over in her seat and began fiddling with the radio. Gibbs rolled his eyes as he listened to five seconds of each radio station. He grabbed her wrist, and she looked at him with wide eyes. "Jen, choose one."

Jen turned the radio completely off and settled back into her seat. She was beginning to feel lightheaded and closed her eyes. Dinner had barely been touched earlier. She hadn't had time to eat a full meal. Hopefully, Noemi had cooked and left it in the microwave for her. Gibbs glanced over at her. "Jen, you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine," she repeated, opening her eyes and returning his gaze. "Watch the road, Jethro."

He smirked and put his eyes back on the road. Several minutes later, he parked in front of her house on the curb. She removed herself from the car before he could open the passenger door for her. He followed her to the doorstep and watched her fumble with the key. "Move," he told her and took the key from her, pushing the door open after unlocking. He let her inside first and followed, going through the house to make sure nothing was amiss. Jen rolled her eyes and walked into the study, putting her things down. Jethro walked around upstairs, opening and closing doors. She went into the kitchen to heat her dinner, and he wandered into the study. His eyes were set on a tall glass of bourbon. During his mission, he knocked her purse off the desk. He cursed when most of its contents fell out. He shrugged and poured the liquor, glancing at the floor and noticing a prescription. Jethro took a long drink and walked into the kitchen.

"Are you sick, Jenny?"

"No," she answered, leaning against the counter in front of the microwave. Her right eye did not twitch, and he was hoping it would.

"What are the prescriptions for?"

"You went through my purse!"

He shook his head. "It fell over."

"How convenient!"

"Calm down!"

"I am not sick, Jethro! My health is _my_ concern. Not _yours_."

Before he could reply, his cell phone started ringing. He stared at her and opened the phone. "Yeah…Gibbs," he answered in his typical fashion. "In the basement. No, I'll come over."

Jen smirked. She knew who the phone call was from. She took her food out of the microwave and walked over to the island, sitting down and watching him. When he felt Jen's eyes on him, he walked out of the kitchen. Minutes later, he walked back in and rested against the doorway. "I gotta go, Jen."

"Then go. There's nothing to keep you here." She continued to eat and sighed heavily as she heard the door close. She shook her head. What was it about Hollis? She could go toe to toe with Jethro and was successful…but so could she. She knew him better. Jen knew his likes and dislikes. He was like the back of her hand. The trait that confused everyone including Jenny was the color of Hollis' hair. Leroy Jethro Gibbs loved redheads. He had never dated a blonde before. She couldn't figure that out. Some days, she wondered if she should be more like Hollis. "Oh, give it up," she muttered to herself. "He's not yours anymore. He doesn't want you. He has her. Accept it."


	3. Chapter 3

A week and a half passed, and Jenny arrived to work late. Cynthia said nothing to her as she walked past the desk and into the office. Her assistant did notice how fatigued her boss appeared. Morning sickness, case reports, and avoiding Jethro were taking a heavy toll on the Director of NCIS. Jenny had just put her things down and turned on her computer when the door of her office opened and slammed against the wall with a resounding thud. She sighed heavily as Cynthia continued to protest Agents Gibbs' visit. Cynthia knew he was not a person she particularly wanted to deal with first thing in the morning. Jen hadn't told him and had decided not to tell him about the pregnancy. With Hollis, there wouldn't be room for her or a baby in Jethro's life. She would manage on her own.

He shot a glare to Cynthia, and she glanced at Director Shepard. "I tried."

Jen nodded her head and looked at Gibbs. "What can I do for you, Special Agent Gibbs?" How could he be angry? It was too early for him to be angry. The day had barely begun considering it was a few minutes after 0730.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked.

"Right here," she shot back.

"You haven't! I came up here ten minutes ago, and you weren't here!"

"I'm here now. What is the problem, Jethro?"

His piercing blue eyes studied her. Exhaustion was written all over her features. She wasn't him. She could not run on little sleep and an IV of coffee like he could, but she'd never learn obviously. He walked around to the back of her desk and spun her chair around to where she was facing him. He set his coffee cup down, and the aroma of Jamaican blend hit her nostrils. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Jen blinked and felt the wave of nausea come over her. She swallowed back the bitter taste rising in her throat. "Get that damn coffee cup away from me."

He looked puzzled to say the least. She usually drank from his coffee cup if the mood struck her, and he never minded. Her being a coffee thief reminded him of the good old days. As soon as she clamped her hand over her mouth, he grabbed the trash can, but she bolted into the bathroom. He listened to her wretch and wondered for a second if she could be pregnant. He shook the thought away. She would have told him especially if he was the father. He drained his coffee and threw the cup into the garbage.

"Jenny?" he asked with concern as he watched her dab her face with cold water.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look it."

She rinsed out her mouth and glared at him. "Thank you," she replied with sarcasm. She knew she had looked better, but morning sickness was rough. She had learned it didn't only happen in the morning. It was all day for her, and the smell of coffee repulsed her.

Her glare didn't faze him. Gibbs merely moved closer and took her hand gently. "You need to lie down. C'mon."

"I do not, and I'm fine," she rejected and pulled her hand out of his.

"Jen," he said her name firmly. He was worried about her, and it showed in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes and allowed him to lead her over to the sofa. However, she remained standing.

"Lay down," he demanded.

"I don't need to lie down. I am fine. The Chinese from last night didn't settle well."

He shook his head, catching her tell. The right eye had twitched. He took a seat and pulled her down with him, staring at her. She scooted to the other end of the couch, and he smirked at her. "Any health problems I should know about?"

He was pissing her off which wasn't ever hard for him to do. She glared at him and folded her arms over her chest. "No. I've told you several times that my health is none of your concern."

"Are you sick?"

"You should worry about your health, Jethro! Not mine!"

He smirked, slightly amused at her temper rising. He hated to admit most of the time that he pushed her buttons just for the hell of it. "Any health problems I should know about?" It never hurt to ask a question twice especially when dealing with a redhead that was more stubborn than a mule.

"If you consider being pregnant a health problem, then yes, Jethro, there's a health problem you should know about!" she answered snappily and stood up quickly.

He caught her in his arms after seeing her body sway when she stood up. He shook his head at her stubbornness. It was an attractive trait but not at the moment. "I'm taking you home. Did you eat anything this morning?"

She didn't say anything and only held onto him tightly. Her whole world was a blur at the moment, and she couldn't understand how he was remaining calm. Of course, she had told him she was pregnant but not about him being the father.

"There's the problem," he said, placing his arms around her to better support her.

"What was the point? It would only come back up."

He shook his head. "You need something in your stomach."

She glanced up at him, rolling her eyes. Another wave of faintness crashed over her, and she closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she showed him her green eyes but closed them quickly, laying her head against him. He felt the fight against him leave her. She buried her face into his chest and clinched the lapels of his jacket tightly. "I got you, Jen," he whispered against her hair as he rubbed the middle of her back in circles.

"Jethro, I don't feel good," she said softly. She had finally realized she would be on the floor if he wasn't holding her.

"I know," he responded gently and sat her down on the couch. "Don't move. I'm telling Cynthia to cancel your day." He left before she could protest. In all honestly, she didn't feel like putting up a fight. She lay back on the couch and rested her hand over her stomach, wishing it would stop churning. The room was still spinning, and she wished the reason was from being intoxicated instead of pregnant. Being drunk or having a hangover didn't last nine months.

An hour later, he was in her bedroom and watching her sleep. He had made her eat a piece of toast and an omelet followed by soda crackers and tea. To her surprise, she hadn't made a run to the bathroom to worship the porcelain gods. He left DiNozzo in charge. The agent was only supposed to call if anything urgent or life and death happened. He took off his shoes and jacket, deciding to slip into bed with Jenny. When he did, she moved over to him after sensing his warmth. She opened her eyes sleepily when he pressed a kiss to her head.

"Jethro," she murmured.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping with you."

Her eyes opened fully, and she lifted her head. "What? With me? What about Hollis?"

He shook his head. The question had taken her longer to ask than he expected. In all honestly, he had expected a bitchy comment about Hollis from her in the car. "I haven't talked to her in a month."

"What happened?"

He shrugged his shoulders. She hadn't called him, and he hadn't called her. To him, things were over between them. He wanted his redhead back in his life.

"Oh," she said, putting her head back down and not on his chest.

"Go back to sleep."

"I'm awake now."

"We need to talk," he told her.

"We're talking now."

"You know damn well that's not the talking I meant."

"It's yours...but I don't expect anything from you. I don't want anything from you. I'm doing this by myself."

"You aren't going to do this without me. It took two, Jen."

"And a bottle of bourbon," she mumbled low enough he couldn't catch it. "Jethro," she said, sitting up and looking down at him. "I didn't plan for this to happen. Until I heard the baby's heartbeat a few days ago, I didn't want it. Well, part of me didn't want it."

He smiled softly. "Happy Belated Birthday, Jen."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"The baby is my birthday present to you."

"Jethro, that's absurd. You act like you planned it," she stared him, observing his features. He was too confident and a piece of information surfaced to the forefront of her mind…the conception date which was her birthday. She had thought it to be coincidence. Of course, he would have the accuracy to get her pregnant on her birthday. Only Jethro. "LEROY JETHRO GIBBS! What did you do?"

"I didn't shoot blanks," he answered confidently but realized it wasn't appreciated when she started beating him with her pillow. He took the pillow from her and held her wrists before she could grab anything else. "Nothing's a guarantee, Jenny. If you take a cold medicine, doesn't it offset the pills?"

She stared at him and noticed the small smirk gracing his features. The smirk was cocky, and she didn't care for it. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" She had caught a cold from him after stealing his coffee one morning. Her temper was beginning to rage. She had been so angry at him for getting her sick especially when she had a conference that week. She pushed herself out of bed. "GET OUT! GET OUT NOW! GO!" She yelled, pacing in front of the four poster bed.

"Jen!"

"You…I can't stand you! Get out of my sight!"

"Jenny, you need to calm down," he said, approaching her with caution. It had been years since he'd seen her _this_ upset.

"I AM CALM!" She screamed as she backed away from him. Her eyes noticed his shoes on the floor. She picked one up and sent it sailing, narrowly missing his head.

He didn't flinch when the shoe hit the wall behind him though his ear still felt the wind from it. He smirked. "Pregnancy making your aim off?" As soon as the question came out of his mouth, he wanted to take it back. The second shoe hit him in the stomach. She stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it.

"THAT WAS ONLY THE WARM-UP!" she yelled through the door.

Jethro coughed and slowly eased himself up from where he'd dropped onto the bed with his arm. He forgot about that right arm of hers, and he stared at the bathroom door. There was no way in hell he was going to attempt to try to get her to open the door. She would stay in there all night if she had to do it. He grabbed his shoes, slipped them on, and walked out of the room. On the way down the stairs, he pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. Moments later, he heard his friend's old familiar voice saying, "Autopsy."

"Duck, I need a favor."

"Jethro, my boy…what have you done now?" Ducky could safely assume it involved their mutual friend. Jethro always needed a favor when it involved Jenny, and the favor always meant Ducky would be the mediator.

"It's all my fault." He hung up the phone and knew Ducky would know. The doctor had been suspicious of the Director's behavior. He had noticed the fatigue, going home early, cutting caffeine out and her treating Jethro as if he were the plague. If she were suffering from an illness, she would entrust Ducky to run the tests and offer medical guidance. She had not come to him. The logical explanation was that she hadn't dealt with whatever issue. He knew the news of pregnancy would cause the woman to not act like herself.

Ducky shook his head and looked over his shoulder. "Mr. Palmer, take a break. I need to make an important phone call and need privacy," he told his young assistant.

"Where should I go doctor?"

"I don't care! Just go!"

He waited for the assistant to leave before picking up the phone and dialing Jenny's cell phone. She didn't hear any movement in the house, so she left the bathroom to answer her cell phone. It was on the nightstand charging.

"Shepard."

"Jennifer, my dear…how is our Director?"

"Ducky, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes…don't be upset with Jethro."

"I'm giving you five seconds to make a valid point, Doctor Mallard."

"Don't blame him. It takes two to tango. We could all hear how your biological clock was ticking," he told her.

"Ducky, shouldn't it be my decision as to when I want my clock to stop ticking?"

"You wouldn't have ever made it stop. We both know it's true." He sighed but laughed. Jen and Jethro were too stubborn for their own good but loved each other. In his opinion, they needed to be set right. "Stop acting like Jethro planned this out. He follows his gut. Remember? Jennifer, my dear…look at it this way, the two of you will get the added bonus of sharing something wonderful. Plus, it would be one less regret for the both of you. Please, give him a chance," he finished.

Jenny breathed into the phone, rethinking his words. She sighed heavily. Ducky was right, but she still planned on being mad at Jethro for as long as she could. After all, he hadn't officially broken up with Hollis. The Lieutenant Colonel had been swept under the rug. Jenny wanted someone to blame besides herself, and Gibbs was a wonderful scapegoat in her opinion. "Thank you, Ducky," she said, ending the call and getting back into bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs stepped into his house, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. How could he have planned getting her pregnant? It was all luck and coincidence even though he didn't believe in such things. He should have kept his mouth shut about giving her his cold. Honestly, he didn't think she'd get sick. He had been surprised he had been infected with the common cold, but McGee had passed the cold to everyone on the team. Walking down the stairs, he laughed at loud at the thought of Jenny sitting on her bathroom floor and planning ways to murder him. However, she didn't murder him. Jenny made his life miserable by not fighting the good fight against the FBI over jurisdiction. As much as she hated to flirt with Fornell, she flirted like there was no tomorrow. Jethro tried his best to not act like it didn't bother him, but his jaw clenched whenever he saw that smile or heard that laugh of hers. At times, he absolutely hated the power the redhead had over him. The opportunity for payback came to him, and he did not resist the chance. His team had to work with Army CID which meant Hollis was in NCIS headquarters. After seeing the hurt look in Jenny's green eyes, he wished he hadn't made the comment about Hollis used to being on top. In typical female fashion, Hollis began questioning him about his professional relationship with Director Shepard. He was beginning to entertain the idea of cutting women out of his life completely. Maybe life would be easier.

By the end of the case, Gibbs was full of doubts about cutting women out of his life. He shook his head, thinking about his first time being in MTAC since his failed retirement. Jen had read him like only she could and showed concern for him. She regretted how their past had been and was regretting how they future was forming. There wasn't much of a future if they remained on this path. He had followed Ducky's orders to the best of his ability. Sharif had infected his hand tools with BZ gas. Hollis had saved his life during his encounter with Sharif. The BZ had taken effect, and Gibbs had been powerless against the terrorist. As he sat in front of Hollis Mann's apartment, he couldn't go inside. For the last half hour, he had debated whether to go to the door or not. He cranked the car and drove away from the house. It wasn't right. Hollis was the wrong woman for him. Tonight, he needed someone else. She would be the only one to comfort him. He circled the block several times before parking across the street. He noticed the light in the study was off, but the bedroom light was on.

Inside the house and in the bedroom, Jen was lying in bed and fighting sleep. She had read so many case reports that words were beginning to blur. Her mind kept drifting to Jethro and wondering how he was doing. She couldn't help but worry about him. With a heavy sigh, she rubbed the middle of her forehead and slid out of bed. Maybe a cup of chamomile tea would help her sleep.

On the doorstep, Jethro stood and scratched his head. He had made it out of the car and to the door. Now, it was a matter of ringing the bell. He took a deep breath and rang the bell, hearing footsteps coming towards it moments later. The sight of Jenny would make him feel better. The door opened, and he was caught off guard. He wished he hadn't dropped by. He could tell she was fighting sleep.

She stared at the man in front of her. "Why are you here? Hollis wouldn't take you in out of the cold?"

"Jenny," he said her name softly which made her defenses drop. The tone of his voice made it clear that he needed her. Hollis wasn't the medicine he needed to make him feel better. She was the remedy. Minutes later, he was sitting next to her on the couch in the study with a glass of bourbon in his hands.

"Jethro, why are you here?" she asked. He hadn't said anything since saying her name. "Shouldn't you be at home recuperating?"

He placed his hand on her thigh gently. "I came here to recuperate."

"Jethro," she started.

"Please?"

She stared at him. He rarely said please. After a few minutes of silence, she nodded her head and put her hand over his that rested on her thigh. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"To the kitchen. I can't drink bourbon or coffee, so I'm going to make a cup of tea. That was my original plan," she told him, getting up.

He nodded his head and stood up with her. He didn't want to be away from her.

"I'll only be a few minutes, Jethro." She forgot how childlike he could be after a hard day at work especially if his life had been endangered. After he nodded his head, she left the study and went into the kitchen.

He poured another glass of bourbon and walked over, fingering some of the papers atop the large desk. He stopped when he came across a sonogram photo. He smiled softly and picked it up, eyebrows rising. He put the glass down and picked up Jen's reading glasses to look at the sonogram again. He smirked and took the glasses off, walking into the kitchen. He made noise, so he wouldn't sneak up on Jen. She looked over her shoulder at him and went back to making the tea. He came up behind her, slipping his arms around her and burying his face into her soft hair.

"Jethro," she said hesitantly but sighed when she felt his strong arms caress her middle.

He kissed her shoulder lightly and placed his hand over her stomach. "When were you going to tell me?"

"What?"

He showed her the sonogram and felt her tense. "Don't."

She turned around in his hold and looked him in the eyes. "I planned on telling you when I was ready to tell you. I found out four days ago."

He nodded his head and glanced at the sonogram, a smile coming over his face. "I can't believe it," he said softly.

"Oh, believe it. You aren't seeing things. It's double trouble."

He laughed and looked into her green eyes. "I'll be there for you."

She shook her head and pulled away from him, pouring the tea into the mug. "You can't be, Jethro, not when you're with her."

"I'm with you," he said simply, taking hold of her right hand and grazing his thumb over the simple gold band on her right ring finger. She swallowed hard at the gesture, flashing back to their wedding in Paris. She had left him a week after and sent him papers for divorce a month later. Papers that were never signed. If signed, he would be erasing their history, and he couldn't bring himself to put ink to paper.

"Now," she reminded him, pulling her hand away. "Tomorrow, you might decide you want Hollis and Hawaii…not me and NCIS."

"I want you."

She turned around and felt the tears forming in her eyes. "Don't say it unless you mean it, Jethro."

He stepped towards her, closing the space between them. "I want you, Jen," he said, wrapping one arm around her.

"I want you too…but we cannot continue to be the way we've been."

He nodded his head in agreement. "I know."

"Do you, Jethro? Do you know what you've done to me? I haven't been sleeping. All I can think about is how I'm alone when I need you the most and you're with Hollis talking about Hawaii!"

"Who said I was going to Hawaii? Did DiNozzo say that?"

She shook her head at him. "Jethro."

"I'm not going to Hawaii. I couldn't leave you or NCIS…especially you," he told her, wiping the stray tears on her cheeks. "I promise I'm not going to Hawaii, Jen." He kissed her face and pulled her into his arms. He rubbed her back and felt her hot tears against his shirt. He kissed the side of her head and let her cry. She only cried if she needed to, and it was rare for her to shed tears. After she finished crying, he took her by the hand and pressed his lips against her hand. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"Upstairs. Maybe you'll get a good night's sleep if I'm with you."

She nodded her head, smiling softly and pouring the tea into a cup before exiting the kitchen with him. She leaned into his side as she sipped her tea. "We need to talk more tomorrow," she said, yawning.

"Jen, don't fall asleep before we get to the bedroom."

"It's hit me all of a sudden," she admitted and yawned a second time. Her bedtime was considerably earlier these days. The NCIS Director wasn't much of a night owl anymore. Gibbs smirked at her and slipped his arm around her to support her. "Jethro, careful with me. You aren't in the best shape at the moment."

He rolled his eyes and walked through the bedroom door with her. She slipped into her side of the bed and fluffed up her pillow, watching him undress. Down to his boxers, he sat down on the bed and grimaced as he rubbed his knee. Jen sat up and put her hands on his shoulders, beginning to massage.

"You're tense. Relax," she whispered.

"I am relaxed."

"Drink some of the tea."

He glanced sideways at her with a raised eyebrow. "Tea?"

"It won't kill you, Jethro."

With hesitation, he tried a sip of the tea. It wasn't half bad, and he took another sip. Jen's hands were doing more to relax him than the chamomile tea. She knew every muscle to work, and he soon felt like a pile of mush. Jenny smiled with satisfaction and set the tea cup on the nightstand. Jethro yawned and became comfortable on his side of the bed. Before he could slip his arms around Jenny and pull her to him, he heard her snoring lightly. He smirked in amusement and was grateful to be back in her bed. He fell asleep praying she'd allow him to stay there for more than one night.


	5. Chapter 5

The on the mend couple slept peacefully until the sound of an alarm going off at 0445. Jenny hated the sound of her alarm most mornings. With a groan, she reached over Jethro and smacked the alarm. He grumbled when the alarm continued to sound. A second time, his sleeping buddy swatted at the alarm, and it fell onto the floor. He revealed a blue eye to her and an amused grin. "I got it, Jen."

She rolled her eyes at him and watched him slide out of bed to remove the alarm from the floor and shut it off. "Throw it out the damn window," she told him, voice thick with sleep.

"You need coffee."

"I can't have coffee."

"More for me," he replied, leaving the bedroom.

She mumbled a few choice words about Leroy Jethro Gibbs under her breath and made her way into the bathroom. He missed the latest addition to her morning routine. By the time he made it back upstairs after reading the paper and drinking two cups of coffee, she was dressed and drying her hair. Jethro watched her from the doorway, admiring her curves. She felt his eyes on her and turned off the hair dryer. "Jethro."

His eyes glanced upward to her face. "Yeah?"

"I think it would be best if you didn't come here tonight."

"What?"

"Last night was," she paused, not having worked out what last night was exactly in her mind.

"Like how we were back then."

She sighed. "Jethro, I don't take back anything that I said to you last night, but stay at your house tonight."

"Why, Jen? There's something you aren't telling me."

"I can't tell you. If I told you, the situation will be complicated. I don't need anymore complications."

He stared at her. Did she label him as a complication? He shook his head and left the doorway of the bathroom. He sat down on the bed, putting on his shoes. Jen bit her lip and watched him. "Jethro, I didn't mean for it to sound..."

He put his hand up. "I can take a hint, Jenny." He glanced at her as he stood up then left the room. He would see her at work, and the professionalism would be put up between them. Maybe it was her hormones causing her to treat him like a yo-yo, but his gut was bothering him. He couldn't figure out why, but he knew he'd be camped out across the street once he left work. Somehow, he and his team didn't see Director Shepard all day. She remained in MTAC until 1830. From his desk chair, Gibbs watched her emerge and noticed the fatigue. He smirked. He knew she would have to make changes in her routine considering her carrying twins, but Jenny would be stubborn about it. Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from her office in different clothes. He did a double take. She only changed clothes if she was going out. Was that her secret? She had another man in her life besides him. As she came down the stairs, he busied himself with paperwork.

As she passed by the squad room, she told Jethro's team goodnight and walked to stand in front of his desk. She sighed when he pretended she wasn't in front of him. "Gibbs," she spoke, breaking the silence.

"Director," he acknowledged, removing his glasses and looking at her.

"It's late. Shouldn't you let the team go home?"

"Are you the team leader?"

"No."

He nodded his head and went back to his paperwork. Standing in front of him and being dismissed in that way made her feel like a probie. She glared at him and walked off to the elevator. She hated he was still sulking about their morning conversation. It had been her fault. She couldn't deny that fact, but Jethro didn't need to punish his team because he was upset with her. Once inside the Lincoln TownCar, she placed a call to Ziva and asked her to let her know when Gibbs let them go home. Thankfully, the team was dismissed a half hour later. Jethro didn't leave the office until two hours later. When he left NCIS headquarters, he didn't bother going home. He drove straight to Georgetown and parked his car across the street and in front of Jen's townhouse. He spied the foreign car parked behind Jen's Chrysler and watched for half an hour. He wasn't thrilled to see two figures moving in the window of Jenny's bedroom. Before he could stop himself, he was out of the Dodge Charger and walking to the door.

Inside the house and in the bedroom, Jen was lying in bed with her seven year old niece and both were fighting sleep. Her older sister, Laura, was with her for the Christmas holidays. She hadn't felt like celebrating Christmas, but Laura had insisted on coming. Laura's husband was deployed, and she hadn't seen Jenny in months. As soon as she arrived, it wasn't long before her younger sister was sobbing in her arms and telling her everything that had happened in her life.

"Aunt Jenny?"

"Yes, McKenzie?"

"Can a best friend become a boyfriend?"

Jen looked at her niece sideways and stroked her hair back when the child put her head against her shoulder. "Sometimes," she answered sadly yet honestly. Look where falling in love with her best friend had landed her.

McKenzie looked at her face with big blue eyes and kissed her cheek. "Don't be sad, please. It's almost Christmas."

She forced a happy smile for her niece and kissed the top of her head. "You need to go to bed soon, young lady…and you're too young to be thinking about boys."

"Can we watch a movie? Mom'll never know that you let me stay up. I won't tell."

She gave McKenzie the remote and let her find whatever she wanted to watch. Jen fought a yawn and continued to stroke her niece's soft red curls. Next year, she'd have a daughter or

a son, but she hoped she wouldn't be alone. Her conversation with Jethro hadn't gone the way she planned, but she didn't want him to meet her older sister yet. Laura was set on castrating Jethro if she met him.

On the doorstep, Jethro stood and scratched his head. He didn't want to know what was going on behind closed doors, but he needed to know. He prepared himself for the redheaded temper and rang the doorbell nonstop. He let out a sigh of relief as he heard the rush of hurried footsteps coming towards it moments later. If Jenny was responding so quickly, he must not have interrupted much. The door opened, and he was caught off guard. "Where's Jenny?"

"You must be Jethro."

He nodded but had no idea who the person standing in front of him was. He knew she had to be related to Jen with the red hair, similar facial features, and build.

"Thought so. You are definitely not coming in this house. You'll have to come through me first."

If there was a doubt the redhead was related to Jen, it was now erased after hearing her say those words. He gave her a classic Gibbs stare, and she didn't back down whatsoever. "I

need to see her."

"As far as I'm concerned, you have done enough to my sister," Laura told him.

From the stairs, Jenny sighed heavily. Laura was being the typical overprotective older sister. She quietly descended the stairs. "Laura, let him in."

"Jenny!"

"Let him inside. It's my house," she said firmly and came into Jethro's view. He wished he hadn't dropped by. He could tell she was fighting sleep. He should have listened to her. He had been wrong. The reason why Jen wanted him staying at home was standing in front of him with her arms folded and giving him a scolding look.

Laura stared at her sister and shook her head. "Unbelievable. Where's McKenzie?"

"In my room…sleeping. Now, go."

Laura mumbled under her breath and looked at Jethro. "If you hurt her anymore, I'll find you and castrate you."

Jenny looked over her shoulder, making sure her sister did not linger to eavesdrop. "Why can't you ever listen to me, Jethro?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Same reason why you can't listen to me."

Her mouth formed into a smirk as she opened the door wider to allow him entrance. "Bourbon?"

Jethro followed her into the study. As she poured his favorite drink, his arms circled around her. "Wanna know what I thought?"

"What?" she smiled softly as he caressed her growing baby bump.

"You were cheating."

She turned around in his arms with a raised eyebrow. "What a double standard, Jethro," she replied, shoving the glass at him and causing some of the precious liquid to spill onto his hand.

"Shit," he muttered.

"In all these years, you've done what and whomever you've pleased so have I. Now, you're worried about me committing adultery? Jethro, what do you call your relationship with Hollis? I believe that's considered adultery."

"Easy," he soothed while taking a large drink of bourbon. "Calm down. I didn't come to fight. I don't know why the hell I came over here in the first place."

"You're here because you didn't listen to me, and you were jealous of my imaginary boyfriend."

He smirked. Why did she have to be right? He was jealous. He'd always been jealous of any man that was able to be with her when he was away from her.

Jen stepped closer to him and took hold of the lapels of his jacket. "You know, you are cute when you're jealous."

He laughed. Only Jenny Shepard would use the adjective of cute to describe him. "I'm not cute."

"You are. You get that look in your eyes...just like a little boy that's had his favorite toy taken away from him, and he wants to pummel the taker of that toy. Am I your toy, Jethro?" she breathed against his ear as she leaned in close.

He groaned and put his glass down, backing her against the cabinet as he placed a fevered kiss on her lips. Unfortunately, she remembered her company upstairs and broke away once his hands began to roam. "Dammit, Jen!"

"They're upstairs. We can't."

"We could if you weren't so loud."

She smacked his shoulder and glared at him. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"You _are_ loud."

Jen took him by the hand and led him into the kitchen. She knew he hadn't eaten dinner, and there were plenty of leftovers from the dinner Noemi had made. While Jethro ate his dinner, she picked off his plate before suddenly becoming quiet. Jethro smirked at her, sleeping against him. He let her cat nap until he finished eating then suggested they go upstairs.

"To sleep, Jethro."

"Yes, to sleep."

She smirked softly and rested against his side, walking up the stairs with him. "I hope Laura moved McKenzie."

"McKenzie?"

"My niece. She's seven and attached to my hip."

He nodded, amused by the thought of a seven year old sticking to Jen like glue. "Is that my competition?"

"I'd be worried if I were you," she teased.

He smirked and opened the bedroom door. They both spied the sleeping form in the middle of the bed. Laura hadn't moved McKenzie. She didn't think her sister would allow Jethro to stay, but she was wrong. Jen walked over to the bed and shook the girl's shoulder gently as she leaned down close to her ear. "Wake up."

McKenzie mumbled and put her hand against her aunt's face, pushing it away. Jen sighed and shook her shoulder a second time. "McKenzie Grace, wake up."

An eye opened and peered at Jen's face through sleep veiled eyes. "Aunt Jenny," she whined. "I wanna stay in your bed. It's comfy."

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"Well," she cleared her throat softly and tried to figure out how to explain this to her. "You can't."

McKenzie rubbed her face and sat up, mumbling. Jethro couldn't help but chuckle at the girl. "But you said I could."

"I know, but you can't now, Kenzie."

The girl slid out of bed and took her teddy bear with her, stomping away from her aunt. She stopped when she noticed the man standing in the doorway. "Who are you?"

"I would be why you can't sleep with your aunt."

"I don't like you then."

Jenny tried to hold in her laughter, but it was an impossible task. Jethro knelt down to McKenzie's level and grinned at her. "I'm Jethro…your uncle."

"So?" She looked behind her to her aunt after Jen clearing her throat loudly. McKenzie knew that was a sign she'd done something wrong. "What?"

"Be nice," Jen told her.

"Okay," she said with annoyance and looked at Jethro. "I'm McKenzie," she told him, sticking out her hand.

Jethro smirked and shook her hand, standing up. "You like ice cream?"

McKenzie nodded her head.

"Your aunt and I will take you tomorrow."

She looked back to her aunt. "Really?"

"Yes…only if you don't stay mad at me for not being able to sleep in here."

McKenzie thought about it for a few seconds and nodded her head, running over and hugging her aunt. "I'm not mad." She kissed her cheek. "Night, Aunt Jenny. Love you."

"Love you too. Now, go get into your bed."

She ran out of the room and past Gibbs. He shook his head and closed the bedroom door behind him. "I bet she's a handful."

"You have no idea," Jen replied as she turned the covers back. She got underneath the covers and fixed the pillows, watching Jethro strip down to his boxers.

He put his clothes into the laundry basket in the bathroom and joined her under the covers. She snuggled into him and his fingers quickly were in her hair, playing with it.

"Night, Jethro."

"Night, Jen," he replied, kissing her forehead. He would make sure she fell asleep before he did. After several minutes of playing in her hair, her breathing evened out and slowed. He smiled to himself. The trick worked every time. He pinched himself to make sure he was actually in Jenny's bed for a second night.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Laura awoke at 0900 and was surprised to wake up naturally. Usually, McKenzie woke her up by diving into bed and jumping. She stayed in bed, waiting for it to happen but nothing of the sort occurred. Half an hour later, she was out of bed but still in her pajamas. She mumbled under her breath about needing coffee as she headed out the door and was surprised to see McKenzie come out of her assigned room.

"Kenzie," she said her daughter's name to get her attention which it did. "Where did you sleep?"

"In my bed," she mumbled, scratching at her face and walking over to her mother.

"Not with Jenny?"

McKenzie shook her head as her mother stared across the way to her sister's room. She tugged on her mother's pajama top. "Mom."

"In a minute. Why didn't you stay in there?"

"He slept in there. Mom, I want cereal."

"Who, McKenzie?"

"Jethro," she mumbled and walked away. She could fix a bowl of cereal herself even though she didn't know where anything was in the kitchen.

Laura's eyes widened, and she grabbed her daughter by the arm gently. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, mom. I want fruit loops, please."

Laura smirked and waved her daughter on. "I'll be there in a minute."

McKenzie walked on down the stairs. She wished her aunt owned a dog or a cat. She'd at least have something to play with since there weren't too many children in the neighborhood. She might talk her into getting a pet later.

Laura tiptoed to her sister's bedroom door and quietly opened it. She saw Jethro on the right side of the bed, and her sister on the left side cuddled close to the man she hated without even knowing him. "Unbelievable, Jenny," she whispered and closed the door back. She shook her head on her way down the stairs.

Jethro heard the door opening and that woke him up. He opened his eyes and smiled softly. Jen was using him as a pillow and looked extremely comfortable. She hadn't moved a muscle after getting comfortable and falling asleep. He glanced at the clock and kissed her head. "Jen, get up. It's after 9:30."

She mumbled and shook her head, rolling over and burying her face into the pillow.

"Jen," he said again, turning over and putting his hand on her side. "C'mon, sleepyhead, get up."

"I'm tired," she mumbled and pushed at his hand. She rarely was able to sleep past 0500 or 0600, but she had taken a week off from work.

He smirked and tickled at her side which caused her to slap at his hand.

"Dammit, Jethro. Stop!"

"You awake now?"

She turned over and glared at him. "I hate you."

He smiled at her and gave her a good morning kiss. "Is that a new way to say I love you?"

She rolled her eyes at him and moved closer to him, laying her head on his chest. "Remember when we used to spend all day in bed?"

He twirled a few strands of her hair around his finger. "How could I forget?"

"Jethro, why did you tell McKenzie we'd take her for ice cream when it's snowing outside?"

"What? Kids love ice cream. Weather doesn't matter."

She smirked and pushed herself up. "I didn't want to leave the house today. Maybe I wanted to stay in bed all day with or without company."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"I've taken a week off, and I wanted to be as lazy as possible."

"I won't let you."

Before she could say anything, she was darting into the bathroom and suffering the usual bout with morning sickness. Jethro took off after she did and was holding her hair back seconds later. There wasn't much he could do besides hold her hair and listen to her empty the contents of her stomach. A few minutes later, she flushed the toilet and lay back against the wall. He stared at her as she closed her eyes, hoping the process wouldn't be repeated in a few minutes.

Jethro stood up and moved to the sink, wetting a cloth with cold water and wringing it out. He knelt down and patted her forehead gently. "Every morning?"

She nodded her head. "Morning, noon, evening, night…all day."

"I'm sorry, Jen."

She opened her eyes and looked at him before worshipping the porcelain gods a second time. When she was finally finished and recovered, he helped her stand up. She brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth. He walked into her closet and found a pair of pajama pants along with a sweatshirt to throw on. After putting on her robe, Jenny found him sitting on the bed.

"Jethro, wait here."

He nodded and didn't move, watching her leave the bedroom and close the door. She walked down the stairs and heard commotion in the kitchen. She found Laura opening and closing

every cabinet in the kitchen, mumbling incoherently.

"Where in the hell is the coffee maker?" Laura finally said aloud with exasperation.

"In the last cabinet on the right," Jen told her and tried not to laugh when her sister jumped.

"Why is it there?"

"I can't drink coffee. Don't make any either. I can't stand the smell."

Laura rolled her eyes. "You're absurd!"

"You'll think other things about me if I throw up on you."

"I'm not talking about that, Jenny! I'm talking about last night. You broke down and told me everything about everthing! He comes crawling back to you last night and the night before, and you let him stay here! I don't care if he is still your husband!"

Jenny pulled out a chair and sat down at the bar, tuning her sister out until she stopped talking and looked at her.

"Are you listening to me?"

"I was listening. Laura, you don't know Jethro. I don't hate him. I never have, and I don't think I ever could. He's the father of my children. I never stopped loving him after I left him in Paris. It was a mistake. So…things need to be worked out between us. Maybe these last two nights were the start."

Laura stared at her sister. She hadn't ever been able to stay mad at her younger sister. After a few minutes, she walked over and squeezed her hand. "I only want my little sister to be happy. If he hurts you…"

"I know what you'll do. I'm going to go upstairs and tell him it's safe to come down."

Laura nodded her head and watched her leave, letting out a sigh. Ten minutes later, Jethro was in the kitchen with Jenny. He walked straight to the counter and looked dumbfounded.

"Where is the coffee maker?"

Laura smirked and looked at her sister. "Put away."

"Why?" he asked, needing coffee. He followed Laura's eyes to Jen. "Why is the coffee maker put away, Jen?"

"You two will not die without a cup of coffee. I haven't."

Laura and Jethro exchanged looks. Like her sister and newly discovered brother-in-law, Laura lived with the assistance of caffeine. "We shouldn't have to suffer because you do. Well, make him suffer. I didn't knock you up," Laura said.

Gibbs furrowed his brows and glared at the redhead. He was thinking he wouldn't ever like her. He shook his head and walked over to take a seat next to Jen. He wouldn't complain. If he complained, Jenny would smack him. She put her head on his shoulder.

"Go ahead and make coffee," she whispered.

His eyes lit up, and he got out of his seat, walking to the cabinet where the maker was hid.

"But, Jethro…"

He stopped and turned around, waiting for the rest of the but. He knew he most likely wouldn't care for it.

"Make ginger tea first."

He mumbled and looked at Laura. "You make the tea. I'll make the coffee."

"You don't know where the coffee maker is hidden," she said sarcastically. She looked surprised when he opened the cabinet and pulled out the maker. "How did you know?"

He shrugged his shoulders and started on making the coffee while Jen looked thoroughly amused by the look on her sister's face. The older Shepard was dumbfounded considering she'd spent over ten minutes tearing the kitchen apart to find it. Laura looked at her, still in amazement. "How did he…?"

"It's a Gibbs thing. You wouldn't understand, Laura," she replied, sliding off the chair and walking into the den where McKenzie was glued to the television. She had finished her bowl of cereal and was curled up on the couch. Jen sat down on the couch next to her and smiled when she cuddled up to her.

"Aunt Jenny," McKenzie began and gave her aunt the big blue eyes. "I love you a lot. You're my favorite aunt.

Jen looked at her and knew that look all too well. "I'm your only aunt, so I'll always be your favorite," she answered with a laugh.

"Right. I'm your only niece, so I think you should get a dog."

"Why should I get a dog?"

"Because."

"McKenzie…"

"If you got a dog, I wouldn't be bored when I visit."

"I'll think about."

"C'mon, Aunt Jenny. You need a dog. You could play with it outside. Not now…it's cold and snowing."

Jen laughed softly and shook her head at her niece. She didn't have time to take care of an animal. To be honest, she didn't know how she would make time to take care of two babies when they arrived next summer if not before. "Kenzie, you'll have cousins to play with next year."

McKenzie looked at her sideways. "Really, Aunt Jenny?"

"Yes, two."

The seven year old scoffed. "I think a dog would be more fun."

"And less painful," Jen muttered and low enough for McKenzie not to hear.

"We could look at dogs after we get ice cream. We are still getting ice cream, right?"

"Ask Jethro."

McKenzie threw the blanket off her and bolted into the kitchen. She bumped into Jethro as he was making his way to the den with breakfast for Jen. "Hey slow down," he told her.

"Sorry," she said in a small voice, looking up at him. "Are we still getting ice cream? And can we find a dog for Aunt Jenny after ice cream? She wants one."

He forgot how energetic and fast a seven year old could talk. Thankfully, he was used to Abby's fast pace even though she wasn't seven, so he was able to keep up with McKenzie's ninety to nothing talking. "We're getting ice cream. Let me talk to your aunt about a dog."

"Well, okay. Go talk to her," McKenzie walked away from him after motioning for him to go into the den. She wandered into the kitchen.

He walked into the den and smirked at the look on Jen's face. "Did you make her do that?"

"Do what? She wanted to know if we were still getting ice cream, so I told her to ask you. After all, it was your idea. Not mine," she reminded him.

"You want a dog?"

"No. McKenzie wants me to get a dog."

"Jen, you don't have time to take care of a dog."

"Like I don't know that, Jethro?" She watched him set the tray down in front of her and hoped she could keep the food down.

"Think you can handle that?" he asked in reference to the two pieces of toast, two scrambled eggs, and cup of ginger tea in front of her.

"I hope so."

He sat down next to her and became comfortable. "Maybe you should get a dog. It could keep you company when I'm not here and protect you."

She put her fork down and stared at him. "You're not serious, Jethro?"

"What? Animals relieve stress. You get stressed easily."

"I get stressed easily because one of my agents despises authority and never learned how to play nicely with others!"

"I'm trying to teach DiNozzo to play nicely with others."

"Jethro!"

"You can't be talking about me, Jen."

She rolled her green eyes and tried her best not to haul off and head smack him. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you are the most infuriating man I have ever met in my entire life. I don't know what to do with you."

He grinned at her and rubbed her shoulder. He would understand if she smacked him, but he'd rather receive a kiss from her. She shook her head and kissed him gently on the lips, pulling away as McKenzie made her presence known to them.

"So…about the dog," she started, walking towards the couch. She wiggled in between her aunt and Gibbs.

Gibbs turned his head and looked at her. "We'll look after we get ice cream."

Jenny didn't say a word in protest. She was outnumbered with stubborn and more stubborn about the dog issue. McKenzie grinned. Then and there, she decided she liked her newly discovered Uncle Jethro. He was on her side about getting a dog, and he was taking her for ice cream.


	7. Chapter 7

By the time the trio returned to the car from picking out a dog and getting ice cream, Jen was more than ready for a nap. She glanced in the rear view mirror at McKenzie playing with the four month old Collie. Her niece had fallen in love with the animal. McKenzie decided the puppy looked like a Chase, so he was named. Chase wasn't what Jethro had in mind of a guard dog. He had been hoping to get a Great Dane, Doberman, or anything tougher than a Lassie look-alike. Of course, he should have known better with a small child choosing a puppy.

Jethro looked in the rear view and smiled, watching Chase lick McKenzie's face. "Ready to pick up dog food and everything else?"

"Yep!" McKenzie chimed, happy with her choice. She petted the dog's sable coat and grinned.

"Jethro," Jen yawned and put her hand on his arm.

He looked at her with concern. "You okay?"

"Take me home, please. I'm falling asleep as we speak. You and McKenzie can go shopping for the dog."

He stared at her, examining her features and seeing the exhaustion. He nodded his head.

McKenzie popped up between them and looked at her aunt. "You're not going? But Aunt Jenny, you have to go."

She sighed softly and looked at her niece. "I won't be any fun if I do. The babies make me really tired, McKenzie. I need to go home and rest." She hated feeling exhausted so often.

McKenzie made a face. "But Aunt Jenny…"

"If I don't take a nap now, I won't stay up late with you tonight, Kenzie."

She thought about it and looked at her uncle. "You heard the woman. Let's drop her off."

Gibbs laughed and started the drive to the house. At the house, Jen got out of the car and Chase jumped out with her. He had the feeling she would be his owner. She was surprised by it but waved to McKenzie and Jethro as they left the house. She lifted the dog up and dodged as he tried to lick her face.

"That's cute to McKenzie…not to me, Chase," she said, scratching his head and walking into the house.

Laura came out of the study and her mouth dropped at the sight of Jenny with a puppy in her arms. "I thought McKenzie was kidding when she said you were getting a dog."

"No, it wasn't a joke. She and Jethro joined forces. Meet Chase." She put the dog down, and he trotted over to Laura, sniffing her feet.

"He's cute," she commented, looking down at the puppy. "Where are McKenzie and Jethro?"

"They are going to get supplies for the puppy. I'm going to take a nap."

Laura nodded her head. "Well, Madison should be here in an hour or two," she said, speaking about her nineteen year old. She had finished her third semester at thef University of Michigan. After several delayed and rescheduled flights because of weather, she was on her way to D.C.

"Great. After she gets settled, tell her to wake me up." Jen walked up the stairs. Chase perked his ears and bounded up the stairs after her. He ran into the bedroom and sniffed around. Jen watched him. "You and I will get along fine if you never chew heels." She changed clothes and slipped underneath the covers. Minutes later, she heard whining and looked down. She smirked and lifted the dog into bed with her. Chase lay down at her feet for a few minutes but moved to her left side. He settled there and licked her hand. She drifted off minutes later.

An hour or so later, McKenzie and Jetho returned to the house. Laura walked outside to help him with the bags since McKenzie only brought herself inside. He lifted the large bag of food out of the trunk and closed it, finding Laura staring at him.

"I'm not apologizing, but I am acknowledging we got off on the wrong foot," she told him.

He nodded his head. "We did."

In turn, she nodded her head. "Good. That's settled." She walked towards the house with a few bags in hand.

Jethro smirked. Neither one of them knew each other nor hadn't any idea of what to say, but Laura had made the effort although tiny which surprised him. The future of them getting along was still uncertain. He carried the dog food into the kitchen and placed it in the pantry. McKenzie was sitting in the floor and making the tough decision of where to put the food and water bowl. He watched her, amazed at the level of concentration coming from the child. Looking at her, it was easy to imagine his daughter sitting on the kitchen floor. He hoped for a daughter with red hair and green eyes like her mother.

McKenzie leaned over and tugged on the leg of his jeans, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Where's Chase?"

He shrugged. "Probably with Jen."

"Oh," she let out and knew she wouldn't be playing with the dog.

He tousled her hair and pulled her up gently. "How about you and me go into the backyard and have a snow fight?"

She grinned from ear to ear. "Really?"

He nodded his head. "Go ask your mom."

McKenzie took off and yelling for her mother. She was changed for the snow fight and outside having a good time with her uncle minutes later. Laura watched them from the window and let out a sigh. She missed her husband and wished he was home for the holidays. After playing in the backyard, Jethro left to get some of his belongings from home. Within the short time of him being gone, a taxi pulled in front of the house with Madison inside. She was grateful to be off a plane and finally at her aunt's home. The driver removed her bags from the trunk, and she paid him the fare. Laura ran out the door and flung herself on her oldest with a hug.

"Mom, I can't breathe," Madison whispered and took a breath after being released. "Help me with my bags, please?"

Laura grabbed one and walked into the house with her. McKenzie was the next to attack Madison with a hug. She didn't wait for her sister to put her bags down. She had missed her big sister so much.

"Hey you," Madison said, ruffling her sister's hair. "Miss me?"

"I did! What took you so long?"

"Long story, Kenzie," she said, putting her bags down and looking around. "Where's Aunt Jen?"

"Sleeping."

"A nap? She never takes naps. Is she sick?"

"I'll let her explain why she's sleeping in the afternoon, Maddy. She wants you to wake her up after you get settled."

"What room am I in?"

Laura smirked at the question. "Next to hers."

Madison raised an eyebrow at the smirk but shook it off. She carried her bags up the stairs and to the room. McKenzie was dragging the smallest one up the stairs. Laura cringed at the noise and prayed there wouldn't be any damage done to the hardwood stairs. Madison caught up with her little sister while unpacking. McKenzie rambled away about everything she had missed. She told her she would be downstairs with their aunt after a while and exited into her aunt's bedroom. As she approached the bed, she saw the furry companion and couldn't believe her aunt had a dog. Honestly, she hadn't believed her sister. McKenzie had a huge imagination. She moved the puppy over and climbed into bed, getting under the covers and sticking her cold toes to her aunt's leg.

Jen's eyes flashed open and immediately knew it was Madison in bed with her. She was the only person to have ice-cold toes and would wake her up by putting them near her. Jen turned over and looked at her niece's grinning face. "You would think you'd find a different way to wake me up."

"Impossible," Madison replied with a grin. "If I didn't do it that way, you wouldn't know it was me then you'd pull out your gun."

Jen smirked and shook her head. "Maddy."

"It's a valid point," she said, sitting up and leaning over her, opening the nightstand drawer. She saw the Glock registered for personal use. "As always." She settled back into her spot. "When did you get that?" she asked, pointing to the puppy at the foot of the bed. "What's his or her name? And why are you sleeping during the day? Are you sick?"

Jen sat up and slipped out of bed. She knew the questions from Madison would come. Once they came, she wouldn't stop asking questions. She was debating which to answer first. "Today and his name is Chase. Your sister named him," she explained, putting on her robe and tying it.

Madison noticed her aunt's waist as she petted the dog. "Aunt Jen, have you slacked off on the gym?"

Jen laughed dryly and looked at Madison. "A little. I'll give you an answer that explains my sleeping during the day and slacking off on the gym."

Madison waited for the answer. "I'm listening."

"I'm pregnant."

Her mouth dropped. "WHAT?"

Jen nodded her head and sat down next to her on the bed. "There's more. I'm having twins."

"WHAT? Mom didn't tell me you had a boyfriend. You didn't tell me either!" She was beginning to feel hurt as she thought about it. She talked to her aunt on the phone at least once a week. Any other communication was done through emails.

"I don't have a boyfriend, Maddy."

She was silent, mind racing until a thought hit her. "You went to a sperm bank?"

Jenny laughed and shook her head. "Remember when you were seven and I sent you all those things from Europe for your birthday?"

"Yes…but what does my seventh birthday have to do with you going to a sperm bank?"

"Maddy, forget the sperm bank. Can you listen?"

She rolled her eyes. "Could you get to the point quicker?" she asked and received a glare.

"I got married in Paris to my partner, but I left him a week after. In my mind, it was all wrong. If I was a married woman, I wouldn't be able to have a career and make the climb to where I am now. I sent him divorce papers, but he never signed. He's still an agent, and I'm his boss."

"That's a bitch," she commented, not wanting to imagine the work relationship or lack of.

"Madison Hope..."

"I had to sleep in an airport, and you expect for me not to let a few fly. Get real, Aunt Jen."

Jenny rolled her eyes. Her niece was too much like her at times. "As I was explaining, he's the father. There are a few issues remaining between us like his current girlfriend."

"Basically, I've had an uncle since I was six that I never knew about until now. You're pregnant, and he has a girlfriend. McKenzie convinced you to get a dog and name him Chase."

Jen laughed and put her arm around Madison, hugging her. "That about sums it up."

"What the hell, Aunt Jen?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have an answer to that. You'll meet Jethro later tonight."

"Jethro? His name is Jethro. What kind of name is Jethro?"

"If you don't want to call him Jethro, you can call him Gibbs. Don't call him Leroy. He hates it."

"Leroy?"

"His name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she explained.

"Oh my God. If you have a boy, please don't name him after his father."

"Madison," she said seriously. "You don't have to worry about that." Jenny left the bedroom for the bathroom to start a shower, leaving her oldest niece to process the new developments in her aunt's life.

"There's a plus to the current situation," Maddy mumbled as she ran a hand through her dark brown hair with a sigh. She was so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized her aunt had been speaking to her. "Oh, sorry...what?"

"I asked how's school."

"It's fine."

"That's it?"

"Actually, I was going to discuss college with you, but...well...nothing," Maddy finished quietly, sliding off the bed.

"I don't think so," Jen said, grabbing her arm and pulling Maddy back to her. The two settled back down on the bed side by side. "Talk."

"I transferred."

Jenny's green eyes widened with realization. She had spent nearly a year trying to convince Madison to attend college in D.C. or anything close instead of Michigan. Madison wanted to get as far away from home as possible. "That's great, Maddy."

"Now, our deal is not happening."

"Why would it be?"

"Let me think...you're having two children at the same time, you're sort of in a relationship, and you're too busy to put up with your nineteen year old niece."

Jenny sighed softly. She would not forfeit their deal. When she tried to convince Maddy to go to school close to her, she'd made the promise that Madison could stay with her full time or part time. "A deal is a deal, and a promise is a promise. If you want to live here, you know you can. If you want independence, I'll help you get an apartment."

"Mom won't go for me getting an apartment."

"Then you'll stay with me."

"What about Jethro?"

"Maddy, I don't even know if Jethro will be living here. Stop jumping to conclusions."

"Yes, ma'am," Madison replied firmly.

Jenny rolled her eyes at her. "Get out of here, so I can shower."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Stop calling me ma'am."

"Yes, sir." Madison hadn't moved.

"Maddy, do you want me to tell your mother about your spring break?"

"Not necessary. I'm leaving." Madison left the room quickly after the threat and wished she hadn't accidentally drunk dialed Jen. She had no idea how interesting of a holiday this would be. Until she met Leroy Jethro Gibbs, she'd occupy the study to sort through the photo album her aunt kept hidden in the locked desk drawer. Her aunt shouldn't have ever taught her how to pick a lock.


	8. Chapter 8

After a few hours of snooping, Madison decided her aunt had good taste in men, but she could only vouch for Jethro's looks so far. She would be critical when she met him. Within five minutes, Maddy would surmise if she liked or disliked him. As soon as she heard footsteps, she quickly jumped up from the desk chair, plopped into the leather chair near the fireplace, and cracked open a book. She calmed herself as the door pushed open.

"Maddy, what are you doing?"

"I was being nosy," she admitted, putting the trashy romance novel into plain view for her aunt.

"Hope shouldn't be your middle name. Trouble is more suited for you." Jenny walked over and snatched the book, burying it under magazines.

"You love me."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Where's Kenzie?"

"Playing with the dog. Your mother's on the phone."

"And the game plan for us?"

"Paperwork for me."

"I vote for you not doing paperwork."

"So do I," a male voice chimed in.

Jenny and Maddy startled, looking to the doorway where Jethro was standing. He smirked as Jenny rolled her eyes at him. Maddy stared at him. He was more handsome in person.

"You must be Leroy."

"Jethro," he corrected.

"Madison," she told with a sly grin and a quick look behind her to Jenny.

"My other niece," Jenny added, walking over to them.

Jethro nodded his head. He instantly caught the family resemblance even with Madison's dark hair. He slipped an arm around Jenny and rubbed her side.

"So uncle I'm just now learning about, do you mind if I call you L.J. because I feel calling you Uncle Jethro is too reminiscent of the Beverly Hillbillies…"

Jenny glared at her while Jethro chuckled. "L.J.'s fine."

"Good. Aunt Jen, are the take out menus still in the same place?"

"Yes. Order simple, Maddy."

"Got it," she replied, smiling and leaving the study.

"Jethro, I apologize for Maddy. She's always been…"

"Honest?"

She nodded as she motioned to the bourbon. He walked over and poured the alcohol into a tumbler. "No need to apologize. She's a Shepard, and it comes naturally." He took a sip of bourbon. "How old is she?"

"Nineteen."

"In college?"

In reply, she nodded and glanced around the room to make sure nothing was out of place. It was very safe to assume that Madison had nosed around in the study. Jethro watched her silently. "Paranoid, Jen?"

"No. Just making sure nothing is out of place."

He finished his bourbon and put the glass down on the counter. He came up behind her, slipping his arms around her and kissing her neck. She tensed as his phone began ringing. Jethro heaved a sigh and opened his phone. "Gibbs." As soon as he walked away from her, she knew who was on the other line. She took a seat and rested a hand over her slightly flat stomach. Moments later, a cold nose touched her ankle. She leaned down and lifted up the puppy. Chase became comfortable between the chair arm and Jenny's thigh. She scratched him behind the ears and heard the sound of running coming towards the study.

McKenzie put on the brakes and slowed down before getting to the chair. "Oh, he's sleeping."

"He's had a big day, Kenzie. He probably needs a little nap."

She nodded her head. "Aunt Jenny."

"Yes?"

"Can I sit with you?"

Jenny nodded and helped McKenzie climb up into the chair. "Maddy's ordering pizza."

"With anchovies?"

McKenzie wrinkled her nose and twisted her mouth in disgust. "I don't like those! Maddy!" She leapt out of the chair and hit the floor running.

Her aunt burst into laughter and laughed harder as McKenzie amazingly startled Jethro when she collided into him a few steps outside the doorway. He lifted the child into his arms as she regained her bearings.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

She nodded her head slowly and glared at her laughing aunt. "Aunt Jenny was picking on me."

He raised his eyebrows, glancing at Jenny. She cleared her throat and attempted to look innocent. Jethro shook his head and rubbed McKenzie's back. "What about?"

"Anchovies. I don't like 'em."

Jethro glanced to the older redhead. He was completely lost on how Jenny could have upset a child so much over anchovies. She giggled at his furrowed eyebrows.

"She told me Maddy's ordering pizza, and I asked if there would be anchovies," she explained, getting up and walking over to them. Once closer, she whispered that McKenzie was a drama queen. "C'mon, we'll find Maddy and make sure there aren't any anchovies."

McKenzie nodded her head and continued fiddling with the collar of Jethro's polo. "Are you gonna eat pizza with us?"

Jenny removed her niece from her complicated husband's arms. "He might not, Kenzie. He might have to leave."

"I'm staying for dinner," he said.

He was met with a trademark Shepard smirk as the two left the room. He turned his phone off and threw it onto Jenny's desk. He felt like throwing it into the fire to prevent Hollis from calling a second time. All he wanted was to spend time with Jenny and her family.

Madison entered the study and walked over, pouring him a glass of bourbon. "Maybe you shouldn't take calls from your girlfriend when you're with my aunt."

He was thrown off by the boldness of the nineteen year old. "Phone's off," he told as he took the bourbon, downing it.

She smirked. She had decided that she liked the man for now. If he didn't dump the girlfriend, she'd quickly join the team to castrate him. She took his glass and placed it on the countertop, walking over to the desk and leaning against it.

"How long are you here?"

"Indefinitely."

"Jen said you were in college."

"I am. I've transferred to Georgetown."

Jethro nodded with approval. "Field of study?"

"Political science."

He frowned. Another politician in the making.

"English minor," she added.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"Probably law school."

He muttered under his breath as Madison giggled at his reaction. She loved seeing reactions to her chosen fields of study. Of course, her aunt had been absolutely thrilled to hear of them.

"I take it you hate lawyers too."

"If you'd been divorced as many times as him, you'd hate lawyers," Jenny chimed in as she came into the room.

Jethro glared at her as she smirked in return. Maddy snickered at the couple and excused herself from the study. By the look on her aunt's face, she knew she needed to make a fast exit.

Jenny took the lapels of his jacket into her hands, tugging hard and pulling him close to her. "I have an ultimatum for you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"What's that?"

"I'm giving you a month to tell Hollis. If you don't tell her, I'll tell her. Understand?"

"Got it, Jen." Jethro confirmed with a quick nod of his head. If he had any luck, the team wouldn't get hold of a case involving Army CID.


	9. Chapter 9

The holidays had passed. Jenny moved her niece into the guest room of the townhouse. Much to her surprise, Laura and Jethro had become more civil to one another by the end of the visit. McKenzie had not wanted to leave the puppy or her sister and aunt. She had gone slightly overboard with shopping for Madison. The room had been painted and redecorated. She'd surprised Madison with a new laptop also. Jenny wasn't too thrilled with having to add maternity additions to her wardrobe. Thankfully, the meeting with SecNav hadn't been a complete disaster. She'd been prepared and given a tentative plan regarding her maternity leave. It probably helped she informed SecNav that Special Agent Gibbs wouldn't serve as acting director in her absence. There hadn't been a formal announcement of her pregnancy made. She didn't think that was anything to drop in a memo or mass department email. Anyone with eyes could see she was expecting.

She walked out of her closet, holding a pair of black slacks and slipped into them. "No…no…" She huffed in frustration and glanced in the mirror. "I bought these last week. Now, they don't fit. I swear if this is any indication of how…" she stopped, realizing she was talking to herself.

Madison knocked on the door and entered without saying a word. She walked into her aunt's closet, dug around, and came out with another pair of black slacks. "Just give into the secret fit belly pants, Aunt Jen."

Her aunt made a face. "These still fit."

"You cannot zip or button them." She shoved the pants at her.

With a heavy sigh, she snatched the pants from her and watched Madison leave. She muttered under her breath and dressed for work, hoping the morning would turn around.

It didn't. Traffic was unbearable. She arrived to the office ten minutes late. Cynthia met her at the outer door to the office with too many messages. She had less than ten minutes to prepare to go into MTAC. There was only one small bright side. She hadn't run into Jethro. He had two weeks remaining of the month ultimatum to tell Hollis, and he hadn't. She hadn't seen much of him in the last week and a half. As she walked to MTAC with her notes, glasses, and tea in hand, she couldn't help smiling. She was thinking of how he was certainly scared as hell of her and the consequences of not breaking the news to Hollis.

As he sat back down in his desk chair, he noticed her walking out of her office. Damn, she looked beautiful today. Pregnancy agreed with her. He had been avoiding her like the plague. Honestly, he didn't want to face her temper or the temper of Hollis Mann although Hollis couldn't hold a flame to a redheaded temper. He continued his conversation with Abby. She'd purchased the team iPods with her tax return. She was offering to download some of her music for him when the phone began ringing.

"Dead marine," he announced to the team. Why did a marine have to die on an army base? He knew who he'd be seeing. He prayed like hell Jenny wouldn't have to get involved.

At the crime scene, Hollis watched Gibbs approach her. "Good morning, Jethro." She couldn't help herself from looking him up and down. She had put her brain through hell over the last weeks of trying to figure out what happened between them.

McGee watched the two closely. "Dead marine," he chimed.

"Army base," Ziva said as she leaned away from the van to look at them on the porch.

Tony walked to his partners. "Her rock smashes his scissors which puts the Colonel on top."

Hollis made the quick decision to exert her authority. She knew how he could be during investigations. "You work for me on this one, Jethro. It's my army base…my crime scene."

"And my people…my office," he replied. He needed to not be territorial. If he pushed, Jenny would definitely be sorting out the jurisdiction matter.

The three agents still watched the couple or former couple. They weren't sure. They all knew of Director Shepard's condition and had theories if Gibbs was the father.

Hollis stepped closer to Gibbs. "They know we're still…what are we?"

He looked down to the planks of the porch and smirked. He wasn't willing to define his relationship with Hollis to Hollis. Hell, he didn't know what his relationship was to Jenny at the moment. He hadn't been seeing either woman. He was going to have to have a long talk with the females in his life. The females were doing too much of the decision making lately, and he didn't care for it.

McGee squinted into the sunlight. "She…"

Ziva interrupted him. "Still on top?"

He gave her a look. "Seeing Gibbs?"

DiNozzo closed the door of the evidence van. "Same thing…but an excellent queston nonetheless, Probie."

The teams entered the home to investigate the crime scene. The victim had been murdered with a spear gun. Jethro took a call while Hollis directed his team. Great…he'd be in Jenny's office with Hollis.

In Director Shepard's office, he quietly listened to her explain who the two men, Army Major Eric Sweigart and Army Lieutenant Joseph Marsden, in her office were. He could tell she was going to love every minute of this visit. He smirked at her choice of black and to keep her hands over her growing belly.

"Major Sweigart was Captain Reynolds' superior at Defense Intelligence. He understands that Army CID and NCIS will be working hand in hand on this case," she paused with those green eyes widening. "I mean…side by side," she looked to Gibbs and Hollis, "…cooperatively." She loved seeing the smirk on Jethro's face and him squirming in his spot.

"You've taken Captain Reynolds' laptop. I want it back," Major Sweigart spoke harshly.

"That's evidence, Major," Hollis informed him.

"DIA deals with highly classified materials, ma'am."

"And we have top secret clearance."

"I'm talking about special access programs which go well beyond your clearance."

"Black ops," Jethro finally spoke.

"Major Sweigart," Jenny spoke in Director tone. "These are your options. Either read in our forensic scientist to your special access programs or send someone who can oversee her work."

He was not happy and told the lieutenant to send someone over to oversee the work. Hollis and Gibbs took the opportunity to question the two men. As they were leaving, Jenny waited until Jethro was nearly out of her office to call him back in.

Gibbs turned and looked at her, closing the door. "Yeah, Jen?"

"I know you've been avoiding me. I strongly consider you telling Hollis today or tomorrow...before this case is closed." She turned to her computer to read an email. "You can go."

He shook his head and left her office, allowing the door to close loudly. Could the day get any better for him?

After getting a hit on the prints found on Reynolds' back door, he and Hollis took a trip to Eric Sweigart's office. Jethro sat back and let Colonel Mann do the questioning. He listened to the major explain why his fingerprints were on the victim's back door. Gibbs noticed a photo of him with a spear gun. He picked it up and examined it. "Means you saw what was hanging in his office."

"Sorry?"

"Know how to use it. You look pretty handy with that spear gun."

"Wow, pictures worth a thousand words to a jury," Hollis said, getting up and picking up the framed photo.

"Yeah or just one…guilty."

"Lotsa guys dive. Look, Colonel, I was with someone last night…a date."

"She got a name?" Gibbs asked, growing impatient.

"We went to dinner."

"Name."

"Stephanie Flynn."

He had to have heard the major wrong. His eyesight was on the decline, so his hearing might have all of a sudden took a turn for the worse. He did not hear that name.

Hollis put the photo back in its place. "The woman who was with Mrs. Reynolds when she found him dead?"

"That's right," Sweigart answered.

Gibbs moved closer to the major's desk. "Stephanie Bronwyn Flynn?"

"Yeah."

Hollis looked at Jethro. His eyes were nothing short of panicked, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Do you know her?"

"Uh huh." He turned his back to the major. "I was married to her."

This was a day from hell, and he felt it could only continue to go downhill.


	10. Chapter 10

Once again, Hollis and Gibbs were in Director Shepard's office for a second time. Jenny was not thrilled about the pair being in her office again. She sensed it had to be Jethro's fault. Today, it was hard to give him the benefit of the doubt. She blew out air and rested her head against the back of her chair, waiting to be told of the catastrophe. No one was saying a word.

"Speak," Jenny commanded.

"We have a little issue," Hollis started.

"We?" Jenny glared to Jethro.

"You wanna tell her Agent Gibbs?" Hollis turned to him slightly. She was trying her best not to stare at Jenny. She'd heard rumors about the NCIS Director, but she couldn't tell. The black sweater vest over the dress shirt was doing a good job of concealing the pregnancy.

"No…not particularly," Gibbs mumbled.

Jenny turned her head towards him, narrowing her gaze. "Is this issue going to involve lawyers?"

"It already did," Hollis replied.

Jethro rolled his eyes and looked to the side. Day from hell. Slippery slope. Wrath of a redhead. He'd rather stand in front of a firing squad than be here.

Jenny turned her look to Hollis as she continued to explain.

"It's his ex-wife. She's a material witness."

And she was back to Jethro. "And which ex would that be?" The look on her face was nothing short of what a lioness would look like before attacking an antelope.

"Stephanie."

"What number is she again? Second?" She smiled, not caring if she was visibly enjoying this degree of questioning. He needed to feel uncomfortable. After all, he was the reason she had to finally get into maternity pants today and hadn't aided in her bad day turning into a good day.

"Third," he shot back.

"Ohhhhh, right…"

Hollis bit her lip, shaking her head and staring at the carpet. She'd always sensed a history between Director and Special Agent. It was clear from a mile away that Jenny Shepard was reveling in the visit. Little did she know, she was standing in front of Jethro's fourth wife.

"You lived in Europe with her for a while…Frankfurt?"

"Moscow."

"Two years?"

"One."

"Well, it's hard to live in Moscow with anyone."

He rolled his eyes.

"Do you think he should _divorce_ himself from this case, Colonel Mann?"

"No, no ma'am. No."

"Nor do I. I don't see a problem if you conduct the interview. Do you have a problem with Colonel Mann interviewing your ex-wife, Agent Gibbs?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Why did he bother asking?

"No," the blonde and redhead answered in unison.

Jenny smiled sweetly. "Problem solved."

Colonel Mann left the Director's office for interrogation. Jethro had informed her he'd be there momentarily. He watched Jenny pick up her glasses and put them back on, ignoring him.

"Jen…"

"Yes?"

"Could you have enjoyed that a little more?"

She looked up at him. "I'm sure I could have if I'd told the colonel she was standing in front of your fourth wife."

He glanced up the ceiling, rolling his eyes. "Dammit, Jenny."

"Don't, Jethro. Don't." She took her glasses off, throwing them onto her desk. "It's simple. You tell her the truth. All the others were different. I wasn't here. They weren't shoved in my face. I didn't shove any of my affairs in your face. To top it all off, I'm pregnant and having to see you come into _my_ office with _her_ twice today, Jethro…TWICE. AND don't get me started on Stephanie. If I have to see Stephanie, so help me God..." She trailed off, making a face and shifting in her chair.

"Jen?"

"What?" she snapped, rubbing the side of her stomach.

"You…okay?"

"Fine, Jethro," she mumbled, standing up and stretching her back slightly. She noticed him staring at her. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothin'."

"Say it."

"Black can only hide so much, Jen."

She threw her pen at him, shaking her head. "You could be a little nicer."

He placed her pen back on her desk and walked closer, pushing the computer mouse over and sitting down. He pulled her to him by her elbows. She stood in between his legs, not making a move.

He put his hands on her hips gently. "Back hurt?"

She nodded her head. "Haven't got the chance to move around too much today."

He nodded his head, toying with the hem of her dress shirt and sweater vest combo. He missed being this close to her. He slid his hand underneath her top. He raised an eyebrow when he felt fabric and not skin. "Jen…"

She frowned. "Maternity pants."

"About time."

"About time?"

"It was dumb to keep buying a size larger pants."

She smacked his shoulder. "Shut up and do whatever," she groaned as his hands began massaging her lower back. As much as she wanted his hands off her, she couldn't tell him to stop. He watched her become jello as he worked out the kinks. He moved her to the sofa and gave her a full back massage. When he finished, he kissed the back of her head. "I should get to interrogation."

Jenny nodded her head and leaned against his chest. "Jethro," she whispered.

He slipped his arms around her. "Yeah?"

"Thank you…but tell her or…" She was quick as her hand found his crotch and squeezed. He whimpered, and she squeezed harder in a more not so nice way.

He swallowed hard and grimaced, nodding quickly. He couldn't move until she let go. It wasn't hormones…just that redheaded temper coming out in her. He slid out from behind her and took a moment to recover from the assault on his manhood before quickly leaving for interrogation.

The questioning of Stephanie Flynn was enlightening to Hollis Man. She admitted, slipping a few times in the interrogation, but she couldn't help it. The woman had been married to Jethro. She didn't know where she stood in her relationship with him if it could even be called a relationship. She didn't know what was going on with him. Stephanie wanted to speak to Gibbs. She wasn't fond of Mann's questions. Gibbs entered the room with two coffees. Hollis closely watched the interaction between Stephanie and Gibbs, closely examining the body language. When Stephanie attempted to get him to talk, he did his best to get away. Jethro did not want to talk. Hollis could sympathize. She always felt there was a part of him that was locked, or he was hiding something from her. From her first case with him, she had a profile done of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She knew about the death of his first wife and daughter. He never spoke of it, and she didn't ask…but there was something else. Maybe the answer was in his marriage to Stephanie…

McGee interrupting broke her out of her thoughts. He informed them Abby had found something within Reynolds' computer. The forensic scientist wasn't originally thrilled with the idea of someone watching over her shoulder, but she warmed up to him. McGee translated the findings for Gibbs and Mann. They'd found a file share of the Element Song. Both investigators were not sure how that was relevant to the case.

In autopsy, Hollis was checking with Ducky to see what he'd discovered. He had bits and pieces of information from Jenny about the day. She had been his lunch date.

"That must have been extremely awkward for all concerned," Ducky said to Hollis.

"What happened between them?"

"You know, a man's heart often tells us how he lived. Sometimes, it might even tell us how he died…but contrary to popular myth, it never tells us how he loved." Ducky put an x-ray up and looked at it. Hollis moved closer to him.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to put you on the spot."

"You won't find a better man than Jethro. He's a fiercely loyal colleague and friend, but he does come with his challenges."

"Tell me about it," she replied with a laugh. "There's a part of him…I…I don't know…he just shuts me out. I thought maybe it was Stephanie or their marriage."

"They weren't married long."

"14 months."

Ducky turned and looked at the colonel. He realized he may be pulled into dangerous territory.

"Top of my class in interrogation."

"Well, remind me to ask for a highly qualified lawyer should I ever be interrogated by you."

"I don't want to be another one of his mistakes, Ducky. I know he's been married three times."

Ducky straightened. He was unsure if Hollis didn't know about Shannon or Jenny. He decided to assume Shannon. He was familiar with Jenny's temper. He wouldn't be the one to spill the beans about that marriage. He looked at Hollis.

"More than three times?"

"Perhaps I should get that lawyer now," he answered with a swallow. "Uh, married four."

Her breath hitched. "Jethro's married?"

"Well," Ducky hedged and walked away from her quickly. He almost spilled the beans.

She picked up her pace and grabbed him by the arm. "I…I don't understand."

"You should speak to Jethro."

Jethro entered autopsy, and he noticed how Hollis was looking at him. He wasn't sure of the conversation between her and Ducky. In a way, he didn't care to know. They learned Sweigart and Reynold's wife were having an affair. It was time to call it a day for investigating. He slipped out of Mann's sight. He needed to disappear for the night.


	11. Chapter 11

Gibbs checked out of his hotel room. He'd gone home to pack an overnight bag and left. He turned his phone on and had voicemails from Hollis. Why bother calling her back? He'd see her at work. He'd take a back seat in the rest of the investigation. Enough damage had been done yesterday.

In the squad room, he sat on his desk. Yesterday, they had discovered Sweigart being unfaithful to Stephanie. Now, they were rehashing the facts and putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Hollis was ignoring the fact Jethro was in the room. He wondered what she had found out yesterday. He would have known if Jen had a confrontation with her. The whole District of Columbia would have known. He imagined there would be more damage than a natural disaster would cause if Jenny told Hollis the truth. They sent the team to get Jill Reynolds. She was beginning to look like a prime suspect.

Gibbs and Mann walked out of the Director's office. She had wanted to be updated on the case. Gibbs not so subtly directed Hollis into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, she stared at him. He flicked the emergency switch, and the elevator halted.

He turned to face her. "You gonna tell me?"

"Tell you what?" She didn't think she was the one who needed to be talking. He needed to explain a few things to her.

"What's buggin' ya."

"How long have we been together?"

Great. It would be his favorite sort of conversation. He hit the switch, turning the elevator back on. He wasn't too surprised when it stopped a second time. "Weeks," he answered.

"Months."

"Meaning," he said, facing her, "many weeks." He turned the elevator back on.

"Meaning we've shared a lot, right?"

"Yeah…"

And there went the elevator again. He rolled his eyes and turned his head in her direction.

"Divorced two times."

"I told you that."

"Married four. You never told me that."

He stared at her. "I should have."

"It's true." Hollis looked like the wind had been knocked out of her lungs.

Jethro nodded. "We never got divorced."

"Jethro, you didn't think that was something I needed to know?"

"We've never been a married couple. I didn't want to get divorced a third time or remarried. Hell, I never thought I'd see her again," he mumbled something about being left in Paris.

Unfortunately, Hollis caught it. "Paris."

Jethro looked up to the elevator ceiling.

"Jenny? Your wife is Jenny Shepard."

He looked at her, nodding his head.

"Have you put her behind you?"

"No," he spoke honestly. He flicked the elevator switch and turned away from Hollis.

"Jeth…Jethro…" She wanted to discuss this more. She needed answers as to why he started a relationship with her. She understood relationships could be complicated. Why start if he was married, especially if he still loved his fourth wife? It was clear he was finished with the conversation. She shook her head and said nothing more. She was putting the pieces together. With the time she'd spent at NCIS, she knew the rumor about Director Shepard being pregnant was true. It didn't take a trained investigator to figure out who the father was. Hollis Mann knew it was over between them.

After grabbing a folder from his desk, he left the squad room and got into the elevator to go one floor up. Cynthia didn't bother saying a word to him. He entered Jenny's office and sat down in the chair in front of her desk, waiting for her to get off the phone.

She raised an eyebrow at him and continued the conversation. Five minutes later, she hung up the phone and put her earring back in.

"What is it? You updated me on the case less than an hour ago."

"I told her."

Jenny looked at him in confusion. "Told her?"

"Hollis."

She examined his face. Something was off. "Jethro, you told her."

"She knew I was married four times." He shrugged his shoulders.

"And...?"

"She knows it's you, Jen."

She nodded her head. "I'm glad she knows. She deserved the truth, Jethro."

"So," he said, getting up and rounding the corner of her desk. "your place tonight?"

She laughed softly and turned her chair towards him. "My place?"

"Yeah, Jen…I'll bring dinner. Maybe spend the night."

She smirked at his confidence. The man had just broken or chipped a woman's heart, and he was discussing coming over to her place. She didn't know how she felt about that.

He took her hand and moved his finger over the ring on her right hand. "I missed you."

Before she could speak, Cynthia buzzed in. "Director, Stephanie Flynn is here to see you."

Jenny rolled her eyes and looked at Jethro. "What have you done now?"

"Nothin', Jen."

She shook her head. "I'll think about tonight."

"Send her in, Cynthia."

Gibbs kissed Jenny's forehead and walked to the door. He nodded to Stephanie and held the door open for her. He turned and mouthed for Jenny to be nice before leaving. He'd love to be a fly on the wall.

Stephanie turned, looking at Jethro. He smiled and decided to leave the door open. He walked to Cynthia's desk and whispered for her to keep an ear out.

His ex-wife sat down in the chair he had occupied moments before. She would get straight to the point. "There's a serious conflict of interest here. Jethro shouldn't be leading this investigation."

"He's not. Colonel Mann is."

Stephanie gave Jenny her best Gibbs look.

Jenny would play nice if she wasn't pushed. If she received another one of those looks, the gloves would be off. "You pick up that look from Gibbs?"

Stephanie glanced around, slightly embarrassed that the look hadn't fazed the other redhead. She should have known better. "I picked up a lot of bad habits from Gibbs."

Jenny smirked. She understood that all too well. "I understand your concern."

"Then take him off the case."

"I've known Agent Gibbs a long time. I trust and respect his judgment," she replied.

"My boyfriend didn't kill anyone."

"Then I'm sure the investigation will bare that out."

"Maybe not before damaging Eric's military career."

"If Major Sweigart wasn't involved, I'll personally see to it that he suffers no career repercussions."

"Thank you," Stephanie responded, surprised.

Jenny smiled. She couldn't believe she was being nice after Stephanie wanted her best agent off the case. The smile faded when Stephanie didn't get up from the chair.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

Jenny took a deep breath, grimaced, and gave a short nod of her head. She prayed it wouldn't be a personal question about her, Jethro, or her _and _Jethro.

"I don't know quite how to put this, but I always had the feeling that after our marriage…there was something between you and Jethro."

She answered calmly. "It has always been strictly professional between us."

Jethro may have been honest today, but she didn't have to be so. There was no reason that Stephanie needed to know the truth about her strictly professional relationship with Gibbs. She actually found herself laughing with Stephanie over stories about Jethro.

"I'll personally show you out of the building," Jenny said, taking a sip of her water as Stephanie finished off the bourbon. She longingly looked at the bottle of bourbon as she picked it up to put it away.

"Miss it?"

"What?"

"Bourbon."

Jenny smirked. "I didn't pick up bourbon until working with Jethro. I miss coffee more."

"Who's the father?"

"Oh, I decided I wanted children, so I went to a sperm bank." If Madison could hear her now…

Stephanie nodded her head and walked out of Jenny's office with her. Tony and Ziva were discussing the case as they made their way to the squad room. As they rounded the corner, DiNozzo noticed Stephanie and Director Shepard coming down the stairs. "Uh oh." He didn't think Jenny had a happy look on her face when she glanced towards Gibbs and Mann. Neither had noticed the two redheads. Hollis started walking in the direction of Tony and Ziva. Gibbs followed.

"Train wreck," he said excitedly. He would witness the run in of exes. "I want to look away, but I can't."

"Agent Gibbs," Jenny said cheerfully.

His eyes scanned the pair coming to him. Maybe Stephanie shouldn't have talked to Jen and vice versa.

"Director," he said carefully.

"Colonel," Jenny spoke to Hollis with a smile. "I was just reassuring Gibbs'," she paused, looking thoughtful. "Your witness that Agent Gibbs could separate himself from the personal aspects of this investigation. "

Jethro stood there surrounded by his ex-wife, wife, and ex-girlfriend. What had he done to deserve this today?

"Well, I'll monitor him closely, Director."

"I'm sure you will."

What in the hell was Jenny doing? She seemed like she was in a good mood after he told her he'd finally ended things with Hollis. They were only together now because of the case. He smirked, turning his head and rolling his blue eyes.

"Is that the look you're talking about?" Stephanie asked Jenny.

"Yeah, that's it."

Hollis looked at Gibbs. She had turned into one of his mistakes. She glanced at Jenny. The pregnant redhead was giving him a helluva time, but she could see that love was still there. Jenny had Gibbs and a baby on the way, two things Hollis would never have. She smiled, her features a mixture of regret and pain. "Yep. We've all seen that one."

Jenny glanced at Hollis and looked at Jethro. He wished he could wipe the smirk off her face and crawl out of his skin at the same time.

"Well, Miss Flynn was just leaving unless you need her for something."

"Ah no, she can go home," Jethro spoke as he bolted between Jenny and Hollis. He'd had enough. He walked to DiNozzo and Ziva to find out what they had found from their visit with Jill Reynolds. The case soon came together. The murderer had been in the NCIS building for the last two days. Fred Rinnert, the DIA overseer of Abby, had killed Reynolds out of greed.

At the end of the day, paperwork had been finished. He'd dismissed the team. He wasn't sure if the Director was still in the building or not. He jogged up the stairs and entered the office. Cynthia looked at him. "She went home an hour or two after escorting Miss Flynn out of the building, Agent Gibbs."

He nodded his head and left. He hoped she didn't go home sick. Maybe he hadn't missed another doctor's appointment with her. She hadn't been telling him when those were. He would pick that bone with her shortly. He hadn't received an answer about whether or not he could come to her place, but he was going to see her anyway.


	12. Chapter 12

Jenny entered the kitchen with her 5-month-old tricolor Collie on her heels. Chase flopped down and watched her every move. She began warming up the white bean chicken chili Noemi made earlier in the day. Madison was on her way home from her first day of work at a coffee shop. Chase's ears perked with interest when his mistress started rummaging around in the pantry. He was disappointed that she brought out oyster crackers and not a treat for him. The dog barked one time and took off for the front door, letting her know Madison was home. He sat at the door and impatiently waited for his second favorite female to come inside while Jenny removed two bowls from the cabinet and two spoons from the drawer.

Madison opened the front door and dropped her purse on the floor. "Hey Chase," she greeted the dog, scratching him behind the ears. She took a knee and hugged him. The nineteen year old had a rough day. "Aunt Jen," she called.

"Kitchen…making dinner."

Her niece smirked. "We both know she's reheating dinner. Don't we?" She scratched the dog behind the ears again and made her way into the kitchen.

"So how was your first day?"

"I got fired."

"Madison…"

"I'm not cut out for being a barista."

"Maybe you should look outside of the service industry."

She rolled her eyes even though she agreed. As Jen put the bowls on the counter, she grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge. She sat down next to her aunt and began eating with her. "How long have you been home?" Her aunt was in flannel pajama pants and a Georgetown sweatshirt.

"Hours. I left the office early."

"So…"

"He told her," Jen answered. Maddy had asked every day since finding out Jethro had been given an ultimatum.

"Took him long enough."

Jenny nodded her head and opened her water. "After breaking her heart, he wanted to come over tonight."

Madison laughed. "It has been over a week for him…for you too."

She smacked her niece's shoulder. "Madison Hope."

"What? He's a guy. He wants to get laid."

"Probably. I didn't give him an answer on if he could come over or not. Knowing Jethro…he'll show up."

"The two of you need to talk." She refilled her bowl of chili along with her aunt's bowl. She tossed Chase an oyster cracker before passing the bag to her aunt.

Jenny watched the dog. "Spoiled."

"Are you taking him for a walk or am I? I have a ten page paper to write, and I only have three pages so far."

"I can do it. I only have a few case reports left to read and sign."

She nodded her head. The two filled each other in on their days and finished eating dinner. Madison loaded the dishwasher and went to the den to spread out all of her homework. Jen relocated into the study to finish her paperwork.

Chase left the study and sat in front of the door, barking three times. Jethro cursed under his breath when he heard the dog's barks. There was no more sneaking into Jen's house.

Before he could ring the doorbell, she opened the door. "I'll think about it doesn't mean come over, Jethro."

"I know," he said, sliding by her in the doorway.

"Noemi's white bean chicken chili is on the stove if you haven't eaten."

He nodded and wandered to the kitchen. He was a sucker for Noemi's chili even though he thought Jen's was better.

She shook her head at his audacity of making himself at home and went back to her paperwork. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and ate his chili. She finished her work and went upstairs to change into a pair of jeans to take Chase for his walk. When she came back, she heard Jethro and Madison talking. Maddy was telling him the story of how she got fired on the first day of her job.

Jenny leaned against the doorway of the den, watching him. She cleared her throat.

Jethro stopped laughing and looked back at her.

"Do you want to go with me to take the dog for a walk?"

He stood up and nodded his head, walking to her. He stood in front of her while Madison raised her eyebrow. She believed the two needed to talk, scream at each other, or have hours of wild sex…whatever it took to get them back together.

Slowly, Jethro grinned at Jenny. She rolled her eyes at him. "Jethro."

He continued to grin. He won. She hadn't thrown him out of the house.

"Shut up and c'mon."

"Didn't say anything, Jen."

"Shut up." She found the dog's leash and called for him. She handed it over to Gibbs then slipped into her shoes.

"I get to do all the work."

"Uh huh."

The pair walked out of the house and into the D.C. night. As they walked down the street, Jethro bumped his hip against Jenny.

"Ow, Jethro."

He smirked. She rolled her eyes at him, placing her head against his arm and sliding her hand into his free hand. "When we get back, we should talk about…us."

"I know, Jen."

"Jethro," she spoke his name softly.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath and wished he wouldn't become irritated by her lack of patience. He glanced down at her. "You've never held back. Don't start now."

"Do you think we'd be divorced if we had been a normal married couple?" She inwardly laughed at her use of normal. They were far from a typical couple.

"I don't know, Jen. I'd like to think we would have made it work."

"I want to make it work." She had said it. She put the words into the universe. It was the first time she'd said them aloud.

"Me too."

She squeezed his hand, stopping him. She faced him, tilting her head and kissing him softly. He returned her kiss, feeling the spark. There hadn't been that spark with Hollis. He pulled away with a grin. "That's a start, Jen."

She smiled at him. "I love you, Jethro."

"I love you," he returned, slipping his arm around her and kissing the side of her forehead.

The couple continued walking. There was comfortable silence between them. She'd missed his company and the feeling of security of being this close to him. He'd missed her touch, the scent of her perfume, and having her in arm's reach.

Inside the house, he followed her up the stairs and silently enjoyed the view.

"Stop looking at my ass."

"It's right in front of me. What else am I gonna look at, Jen?"

"The wallpaper maybe."

"The wallpaper's nice. Doesn't have curves though."

She mumbled under her breath. She'd hate to think what her curves would be like in the next months. She walked into the master bedroom. They needed to talk more. If he thought anything else would be happening tonight, he was wrong. She sat down in the oversized chair and rested a hand over her stomach, looking at him.

He sat down on the ottoman, glancing at the hand placed over her abdomen. He didn't know how much he'd missed. He hadn't been asking the questions he should have been asking. He was uncertain of what week of the pregnancy she was in. He was going to change all of that starting now. "I want you to start telling me about your doctor appointments. I want to be there."

"Jethro, are you ready to be? I know you had this grand idea I was missing out, but I know what you've been through. If it gets too much or too painful, you have to tell me." She was at fault almost as much as Jethro. She hadn't told him any of the details. He hadn't asked. To her, not asking questions meant he didn't know how to handle it. She didn't want to push him. She knew the devastating loss he'd suffered years ago.

He scooted closer to the edge of the ottoman and took her hands. "I'm here, Jen. I can't tell you how I'll react. I know I'll be reminded of Shannon and Kelly. You're the only one that can help me. When we got married, I knew you were the one I'd want to make me a father again."

Jen swallowed hard and was too choked up to say anything. As she felt the tear slide down her cheek, she leaned forward, putting her arms around his neck and burying her face into him.


	13. Chapter 13

Within a week, Jethro had learned quite a bit about Jenny's pregnancy. He'd asked questions and had many long talks with Ducky. At the medical examiner's suggestion, he started reading books about twin pregnancy. He was surprised at the differences between carrying one baby and two babies. He usually did his reading while Jenny slept. He still regretted asking about her advanced maternal age. She'd threatened to keelhaul him if he ever used that phrase again. Quickly, he shoved the pregnancy book under his pillow when Jenny began to stir. He stayed frozen until she opened her eyes.

Jenny rubbed her face and groaned. Sleeping wasn't easy these days. She hated sleeping on her left side. She preferred to sleep on her right side. In the twins' best interest, she had to sleep on her left side because of blood flow. "Jethro," she mumbled. Her sleepy eyes focused more. "Jethro," she repeated, annoyed considering she didn't see him.

"I got it, Jenny." He had slipped out of bed and walked to her side. He held out his hands for her.

She took his hands and let him help her slide off. It hadn't been a good idea to wear those heels and spend most of the day in MTAC on her feet. "Thank you." She stretched her back and strolled to the bathroom while he adjusted the body pillows.

He left the bedroom, going downstairs and into the kitchen to make her a cup of chamomile tea.

She slipped back into bed, propping up pillows. Her hand hit something under his pillows. "What the hell?" She pulled the book out from under the pillow and smiled. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she said with a laugh. She knew he'd been asking Ducky questions, but she never imagined him reading a book to learn more. She patiently waited for him to return.

As he reentered the bedroom, he frowned at the sight of her sitting up with a Cheshire grin and holding the book.

"Late night reading, Jethro?"

He nodded his head and put the cup of tea on her nightstand.

She smiled softly. "I think it's sweet and cute."

Sweet and cute. Two words that were rarely used to describe the Marine and Special Agent.

He rolled his eyes. "Jen, drink your tea."

"Old softy," she whispered, picking up the cup and sipping.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, kissing her forehead. He took his spot on the left side of the bed. He moved the book onto the nightstand and glanced at her.

She looked at him. "Yes?"

"You excited?"

"Of course." In several hours, they would be finding out the sex of the twins.

"What if it's two boys or two girls? How the hell are we gonna tell 'em apart, Jen?"

She tried not to laugh. "Jethro, the twins are fraternal. Were you not listening when I told you that? We'll be able to tell them apart."

"If we can't?"

"Then we'll keep the hospital bracelets on until we can. Jethro, why are you thinking about this now?"

He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he should stop reading that book.

"I know what they'll be," she stated matter of factly.

Jethro raised an eyebrow.

"Night owls like their father."

He smirked and placed his hand on her belly. She guided it to the kicking and loved seeing that smile on his face. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. She never imagined herself being a married woman and five months pregnant with twins. She yawned softly and snuggled into her husband.

"No, you don't."

"Don't what?" she asked, half asleep.

"Fall asleep like that."

"I'm comfortable, Jethro."

He gave her a look, knowing she wouldn't be comfortable in a matter of minutes. She cursed under her breath and rearranged the pillows. He finally decided it was time to get sleep himself. Jenny's alarm would be waking them both up in a few hours.

At 0430, he turned off the alarm and smirked at the sight of Chase at the foot of the bed. The Collie inched his way up and started licking Jenny's hand.

"Jethro, take him for a walk."

"Get out of bed, first."

She rolled her eyes and pushed herself up, glaring at him. He saw through her plan of getting a few extra minutes of sleep. "I'm up. I won't go back to sleep. Jethro's mean, isn't he?" she cooed to Chase, rubbing his nose.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and got out of bed, throwing on a NIS shirt. Madison didn't care to see him walk around the house shirtless. Within half an hour, he made coffee, took the dog out, showered, and dressed.

He poured a cup of coffee and took it into the den to Madison. She'd woken up early to finish a paper.

"I need an IV drip this morning. Thanks," she said, taking the cup.

"How's it coming?"

"Last page. I'm hoping Aunt Jen will have time to proofread," she spoke of her latest English paper. She'd switched to an English major with a political science minor.

He sat down on the couch and drank his coffee. "They talked yet?"

"Mom's getting over it. They talked before you came in last night." Laura accepted the fact her younger sister was married, but it was a bitter pill to swallow that she hadn't been told. Sisters told each other everything or were supposed to.

Jethro nodded his head and watched Madison finish her paper. The two were on the third cup of coffee when Jenny came downstairs.

Madison looked up as she took the pages off the printer. "What outfit number is that?"

"Third," she mumbled. She'd finally decided on a plum sweater dress with black leggings and somewhat low-heeled boots.

"I like it. Have time to read?"

"Of course," she answered, taking the paper and sitting down. Madison handed her glasses and a red pen to her. Jethro had disappeared to the kitchen.

She watched her aunt go through the pages of the paper. Thankfully, there weren't too many corrections to fix. Jenny looked at her. "You should go back to bed and get a little sleep before your first class."

Maddy shook her head. "I don't want to oversleep."

Jenny nodded, kissing her niece's forehead before getting up. She walked into the kitchen and slipped her arms around Jethro from behind. "I can't remember the last time you made breakfast for me."

"London."

"Oh yeah. Maybe today won't turn out like that day."

He smirked. "Nah…don't plan on getting in a bar fight." He flipped the ham and cheese omelette. After telling her to sit down, he served her breakfast; an omelette, fruit, and toast with orange juice.

The two went to NCIS headquarters separately. Gibbs' team had noticed the coincidences of Gibbs and the Director getting out of the elevator at the same time all week. This morning, DiNozzo had the pleasure of being on the elevator with them. Awkward.

The elevator stopped at the squad room. DiNozzo stepped out and looked behind him. "Coming, Boss?"

"No."

"Oh, well..."

Gibbs pushed the button for the doors to close. DiNozzo twisted his face and walked to his desk, looking at McGee and Ziva. "Boss didn't get out of the elevator."

"Maybe he was some place to be, Tony," Ziva commented.

DiNozzo looked up to the catwalk and saw Gibbs walking with Director Shepard to her office. "Yeah…some place to be."

Ziva and McGee looked up. All three of them noticed Gibbs' hand on the redhead's back. "I told you!" DiNozzo shouted in a whisper.

McGee looked at the very special agent. "There's probably an explanation."

"Yeah," Tony replied, looking at McGee like he was a moron. "Gibbs knocked up the Director."

McGee looked unbelievingly at his colleague.

"C'mon, McGoof…think about it. Gibbs has been in a good mood lately, so has the Director. They've gotten off the elevator at the same time every morning this week. He's been going up to her office every night. Coincidence? I think not. They are so…"

"So what, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked sharply.

Tony looked strangled. "So…" he turned around and looked at Gibbs. "None of my business, Boss." The agent quickly sat down at his desk and started busying himself.

At 0930, Director Shepard came into the squad room and stood in front of Gibbs' desk. The other three agents tried not to seem too interested in the Director's presence. Tony slowed his typing of a report down. He didn't want to miss anything being said between the two.

"Ready, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs nodded and got up from his desk. "DiNozzo," he barked.

"Yes, Boss?"

"You're in charge until I get back."

"Where ya going?"

He was answered with a stern look. "Got it. In charge." He watched them walk to the elevator and step inside.

Jenny leaned against the wall of the elevator. "You should tell your team."

"Maybe."

"Jethro, half of the rumors circulating have or will come from DiNozzo."

"You want me to give him the how babies are made talk, Jen," he said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes. "No."

"They'll figure it out."

She shook her head. The rest of the trip was made in silence. Gibbs wasn't too comfortable being in an OB/GYN's waiting room. The last time he was in a waiting room like this was with Shannon. His mind drifted back in years to Shannon telling him she was pregnant and the first appointment he went to with her. He wasn't nervous then. He was young and arrogant, thinking nothing could ever happen to his family. Now, he was nervous. He'd seen a lot in his career and lifetime, but the idea of seeing two babies on an ultrasound screen and the chance the doctor telling them something was wrong scared the hell out of him.

"Jethro," Jenny said, standing in front of him. "C'mon."

He shot up quickly. He hadn't heard her name be called. He followed her, staying close. He was out of his element. She turned her head and looked at him. "Okay?" she asked softly.

He nodded and followed her into the exam room. He looked around at the room while she made herself comfortable on the table. The introductions were made when the doctor entered the room. Dr. Andrews placed Jenny's file on the countertop, and Jethro couldn't help but be curious what was in the file. While the doctor started the exam, he moved closer and thumbed through the folder. His eyes narrowed in on the patient history. He hadn't expected to find anything of interest, but he had. He glanced over at Jenny with a sigh.

He took his spot against the wall and listened to the conversation between her and Dr. Andrews, making mental notes to ask Ducky what some of the terms used meant. He felt more comfortable talking to Ducky. When Jenny glimpsed at him and held her hand out, he moved closer and took her hand. His blue eyes widened as he realized what he was hearing.

"Is that?"

Jenny nodded her head. "Two strong, healthy heartbeats."

He smiled from ear to ear. "Doc, everything's okay?"

Dr. Andrews nodded her head. "So far. Jenny's doing great."

He was relieved to hear it. He had been worried. They both patiently waited for the doctor to get ready for the ultrasound. He laughed at the face Jenny made when the cold gel went on her stomach. She slapped him on the arm.

Dr. Andrews pointed out and explained everything on the screen. Gibbs laughed when one twin kicked the other.

"Jethro," Jenny scolded. "It's not funny that our children are fighting in the womb."

"Yeah, it is."

She shook her head and looked at her doctor. "Can you tell?"

Dr. Andrews nodded, pointing to what she referred to as Baby A. "Baby A isn't shy. There's your son."

Gibbs smirked when she pointed out his manhood. He leaned down to Jenny's ear. "You get another me."

"Lucky me," she whispered.

"And Baby B is a girl," Dr. Andrews told them.

Jenny lifted her head up to look at the screen better. "A girl?"

The doctor nodded. Jenny quickly looked at her husband. Jethro stared at the screen. She was thrilled to be having a girl, but she didn't know what it would mean for Jethro. He turned his head and stared into her green eyes. "I'm fine, Jenny."

She stared at him to make sure. He wasn't lying to her. She settled back down and waited for the doctor to finish. Dr. Andrews gave them photos from the ultrasound and answered questions Jenny had. They left the building after being there for over an hour. On the way to the car, Jethro debated bringing up the information he'd learned from Jenny's file.


	14. Chapter 14

He had decided to wait to confront her. The man could be impatient, but he knew there was a time for everything. He knew he'd ruin his other half's good mood. Still, the questions lingered in the back of his mind throughout lunch. He pushed the thoughts away and told himself there was a reason for the secret. After all, there were plenty of things he'd never told her, and he had his reasons. He quietly watched her cut into the slice of chocolate cheesecake. He'd always found it cute how much concentration she put into the simplest tasks. Before he realized it, he was smiling at her.

Jenny leaned over and propped her elbow on the table, offering a forkful of cheesecake to him. Jethro shook his head no. He should have known better. Her lips formed a pout. He hated to see her sulk. She pushed the fork closer to his face and smiled sweetly when he took the bite. As he chewed, he noticed her longing stare at his cup of coffee.

"Should have listened," he said, washing down the dessert with the coffee.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I don't want coffee."

He smirked. "Yes, you do."

"Jethro, I do not," she lied.

"You do."

She didn't argue. He was right. She loved the combination of cheesecake and coffee and should have listened to him. Who knew having a piece of cheesecake would make her want to kill for a cup of coffee?

Gibbs rested his hand on her thigh and pushed the cup closer to her. He loved to tease her. "Jen, just take a sip," he said.

"No."

"Your loss." He smiled and drank once more. "That's a good cup of coffee."

She felt like smacking him in the back of his head for the smug grin. "Is this my punishment for making you sit down and eat a meal?" she asked.

"Nope." He grinned at her, leaning in and kissing her.

She kissed him deeper, tasting the coffee on his lips. He knotted the fabric of her dress in his hand, moving it back and squeezing her thigh. She put her hand over his and gave him a look. They were in a public place. He didn't move his hand. She leaned into his ear. "Tonight. Maddy's staying over at a friend's. I'll let you do whatever you want, Jethro," she whispered, placing a light kiss behind his ear. He groaned and knew she was paying him back for the coffee tease. He nodded his head. Little did she know, the night wouldn't go how she promised.

In the car, he listened to her chatter about nursery ideas. He was lost in color schemes, accent walls, paint colors, and the idea of tuning her out. What the hell was chartreuse? He shook his head. The more Jenny talked, the more the information he learned bothered him. How had she kept it from him? Would he have ever found out? He would have to confront her sooner than later.

"Jethro, are you listening?"

"Yeah, Jen."

"You are not listening. What's the last thing I said?"

"Something about chartreuse. What the hell is that, Jen?"

She laughed at him. "It's a shade of green, Jethro."

He made a face. She wanted to put a color that he could barely pronounce in the twins' nursery.

"No chartreuse," she decided.

"Pink and blue's not good enough?"

She scrunched her nose. "Boring, Jethro."

He continued to drive to the Navy Yard. She would want something different. He said nothing more, listening to her ramble and trying his best not to start a fight in the car. The question was causing him tongue to itch. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He'd talk to her in her office.

When he parked the car, she reached over and grabbed his hand before he exited. "Jethro, are you really okay about finding out one's a girl? Be honest."

"Yeah, Jen."

She nodded her head. She knew something was wrong with him. Her mind went back over the day. Nothing jumped to the forefront of what it could be. He helped her out of the car and walked to the building with his hand on her lower back. He stared at her off and on. There was little talk between the couple.

Jenny had noticed him staring at her. He'd look away as soon as she noticed. He had gone deadly silent once they entered the building and rode the elevator together. Why wasn't he talking? She'd expected them to be talking about the twins and him talking her ear off about what woodworking projects he'd start on for them. There was nothing. She glanced over her shoulder at him as they walked towards her office. "Jethro," she whispered. She knew that look in his eye. She'd seen it plenty of times before. There was a storm brewing behind those blues. What had changed his mood so quickly?

He motioned for her to keep walking. She raised an eyebrow at him. Jenny smiled at Cynthia as they entered. Her secretary stared at Agent Gibbs. His presence in her boss's office was never good 99.9% of the time. The door closed behind them.

"You and I are gonna have a little talk."

She looked at him. He pulled out a chair at the conference table and sat down, spinning around in the chair like a child. Silence.

"Usually when someone says they're going to talk…they talk."

He wanted to address the subject. He needed to before he exploded. Now at the verge of the conversation, he felt like he was standing on a ledge. He didn't know if he wanted to make the jump. There was no delicate way to broach the subject. He was rarely delicate, but he tried to be when it came to Jenny. She rolled her eyes and sat down at her desk, opening her email. "Jethro, if you aren't going to talk…"

"When did you miscarry?" He interrupted.

She jerked her eyes away from the computer screen and put them on him, burning holes through him. "YOU looked in my file? How dare you? It's not for your eyes!"

He ignored her. "When did you miscarry?"

"Jethro…"

"Was it mine, Jenny?"

"Yes." She had never wanted to have this conversation with him. If he hadn't looked in her file, he wouldn't have ever known.

"Were you going to tell me?"

"Jethro, I…" She looked away from him, pained at the hurt in his blue eyes. She folded her hands in her lap, twisting her wedding ring.

"Were you going to tell me?" His voice rose with anger. He received no answer from her. He stood up, slamming the chair into the table. He walked to her desk, putting his palms on the wood and leaning in close to her face. "Were you going to tell me?"

She glared at him. "I'm not one of your suspects in interrogation!"

"Answer the damn question, Jen!"

"What did you want me to do? Call you four months after I left you and sent you divorce papers?" She snapped. "Jethro, I know I left you in Paris a week after marrying you and filed for divorce…but I was pregnant and lost our baby. Hope you've been great. Would you have wanted to hear that? No, Jethro."

He stared at her. "You weren't going to tell me," he growled.

"I don't like to talk about it, Jethro! I've never talked about it!"

"You should have told me," he grounded out.

"What, Jethro? What do you want to know? You want to know how I had to have a dilation and curettage procedure because of complications? Do you know what they do? They scrape the tissue of…"

He put his hand up. "Jenny…"

"No! You wanted to know. I had to say in the hospital for five hours. I went back to work the next day. It was a boy."

Jethro stared at her, regretting the talk. He shook his head, walking out of the office and slamming the door. She propped her elbows on her desk, putting her head in her hands. She never ever wanted to talk about the miscarriage with him. For years, she'd tried to push it out of her mind, but it haunted her. There was so much to explain to him. She felt sorry for how vicious she'd been, but he attacked her with the question. When pushed into a corner, she would always come out clawing.

Cynthia knocked on the door and barely pushed it open, sticking her head in. She hadn't heard the yelling but knew she needed to survey the damage considering how Special Agent Gibbs had left. The young woman wasn't sure how much more the hinges on the door could take.

"Director?"

Jenny wiped at her eyes. "I'm fine, Cynthia."

Cynthia nodded her head and closed the door, leaving her alone. She cancelled the rest of her afternoon and rescheduled the meetings for next week.

The team suffered from the fight Gibbs had with Director Shepard. DiNozzo believed he'd have permanent brain damage from the numerous head smacks. He was tempted to get Ducky to check him out. McGee, Ziva, and DiNozzo watched their team leader slam his chair into the desk and mumble. The garbage can at his desk was overfilling with coffee cups. Tony moved to the middle of the squad room and looked up to the catwalk.

"Boss needs to get laid."

Ziva and McGee stared at the senior field agent. The thud of the head slap resounded throughout the squad room. Tony's eyes closed in pain. He felt as if his brain had bounced around in his skull.

"DiNozzo, the only thing getting laid will be you in the ground," Gibbs barked at him. "GET TO WORK."

"Boss, can I go and see Ducky?"

"Why, DiNozzo?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Boss, I think…"

Gibbs stood in front of him, nearly nose to nose.

"I think I should sit at my desk and not say a word for the rest of the day," Tony said sheepishly.

Gibbs didn't move a muscle until Tony was seated at his desk. He grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and left. No one else said a word for the rest of the day. They noticed Director Shepard leave early.

However, Gibbs stayed late at the office. He wasn't going to Jenny's house. He didn't want to drink and sand his sorrows either. He leaned back in his chair, stretching. McGee looked up from his typing. When he met eyes with Gibbs, the agent quickly went back to typing. He hated being solo in the squad room with Gibbs. He still hadn't figured out how Tony and Ziva had finished their paperwork before him.

Jethro frowned when his cell phone started ringing. Where was a cup of coffee to throw it into? He was out of coffee and hadn't bothered to get a fresh cup. He raised an eyebrow at the number. Why was she calling him?

He answered the phone. "Gibbs."

All he heard was screaming and music on the other end of the line. He recognized the voice. "Madison. Maddy?" He threw his phone down when the call ended. "Dammit," he muttered and looked at McGee.

"Get me an address, McGee." He rattled off the number to him.

"Boss, what's it for?"

"Do it NOW, McGee."

"Yes, boss." He immediately started the task.

Gibbs took his gun out of the drawer and put it into the holster. He grabbed the keys to the car.

"Boss, do you need back up? Do I need to call Tony and Ziva?"

"No, McGee. Call me when you got something." He was on his way to the elevator. To him, it sounded like Maddy was at a party and in a situation she didn't care to be in.


	15. Chapter 15

The Dodge Charger screeched to a halt on the street. Gibbs squinted at the address he'd jotted down minutes after leaving the Navy Yard. He hadn't read it wrong. This would be a nightmare, Adams Morgan on a Friday night. McGee had only been able to tell him the general area. He stomped the gas, continuing to call Madison. The calls were going straight to her voicemail. He called McGee.

"McGee, you know about Facebook?"

"Yes, boss."

"Hack into it."

"Boss…what am I-?"

"Do it, McGee!"

"I need a name, Boss," he spoke nervously.

"Madison Davis. Goes to Georgetown. Freshman or sophomore…hell, I don't know. Hurry, McGee!" He knew a little about Facebook from hearing Madison talk about it.

After typing and some McGee finesse here and there, he had an exact address for Gibbs. She had been tagged at two locations, a restaurant and bar and a house party. The older agent hung up on him and turned down a street. He was scanning numbers when he slammed on brakes and backed up. He spotted a party. There were too many people outside for him to see the address, but his gut was telling him this was the place. He darted through the crowd and went inside. In the upstairs, he started checking rooms. When Jethro heard screams of 'no,' he ran towards the noise. He opened the bedroom door just as Madison was being punched in the face. His temper had officially flown out of the window.

"GET OFF HER!" he yelled, moving swiftly and pushing the young guy off his niece.

Madison regained her bearings after being punched. She quickly took Gibbs' offered hands and was more than ready to go. Her top was ripped, and her jeans were unbuttoned. She stared at Jethro with a tear stained face.

Unfortunately, the kid made the mistake of grabbing Gibbs by the shoulder. In one swift move, his arm was twisted behind his back, fingers bent upwards, and shoved against the wall. Gibbs put more pressure and whispered into his ear harshly, "You leave here. Don't come back. If you ever think about doing this again, you think about this moment. Understand?"

When he received no answer, he pulled boy's fingers up more. He knew what it would take to break the bones, but that wasn't his goal. The goal was to get his point across. He released his hold after hearing a strangled comply and a nod of the head. The young man darted out of the room. Madison grabbed her phone and purse. Gibbs turned around and looked at her. He took his coat off and put it around her when she stood up. "Let's get you home."

She nodded and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. He put his arms around her and rubbed the middle of her back. "It's okay. I got you." He kept his arm around her protectively as they left the house.

As he opened the car door for her, she turned and looked at him. "Thank you for…"

Gibbs cut her off. "You don't have to thank me, Madison. I'm glad you called, and I got there in time. I'm always here for you."

She nodded and got into the passenger seat, buckling up. She pulled the visor down and winced at seeing her cheek, touching it lightly. That would leave a mark. Gibbs watched her, closing the door and walking around to the driver's side. He cranked up and silently drove to Georgetown. He wasn't going to ask what happened. If she wanted to talk, she would talk.

Madison stared out the window. She cleared her throat softly. "We went to Madam's Organ…you know, for Carlos' fried chicken." She looked over at him.

He nodded his head.

She continued. "These guys ordered us drinks and brought them over. They started telling us about a party. We decided to go…had a few more drinks at Madam's, ate dinner with them, and left with them."

"And you called me."

She nodded her head, wiping at her eyes. "I wasn't sure who I was calling. I was just hoping I wasn't calling Aunt Jen."

He chuckled. "She's going to find out, Maddy."

"I know."

Jethro parked the car and turned the car off. Madison turned to him in her seat. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She fished her fake I.D. out of her purse and gave it to him. "Get rid of that. I won't be using it anymore."

He nodded his head, slipping it into his jacket pocket. "If you need anything else, call."

"You're not going in with me?"

"I don't think I should."

"Please?"

He nodded his head with a sigh and got out of the car, walking to the house with Madison. He hoped Jenny wouldn't throw anything at him.

In the house, Jenny had fallen asleep among case files scattered all over the king size bed. Chase had been her shadow, sensing she needed comfort. When the Collie heard noise at the front door, he quickly left his spot and ran out of the room, barking like crazy. He sat in front of the door and continued to bark.

She groaned and opened her eyes, glancing at the clock and cursing the dog. She'd finally found a comfortable way to sleep, and the babies weren't kicking. Leave it to the dog to disturb her precious sleep. She pulled on her robe and padded to the stairs.

Gibbs took the keys from Madison and unlocked the door. He pushed the door open and looked to the stairs. He met Jenny's shocked eyes.

She glared at him. "Jethro, get out."

"Will you wait a damn minute, Jen. I'm not here to see you. I brought Madison home."

"What? Why?" She rushed down the stairs as fast as she could.

Madison stepped into view and immediately started crying when she saw her aunt. She was thousands of miles away from her mother, and her aunt was the next best thing.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" She hugged Madison to her and held her, stroking her hair. "C'mon," she said softly, leading her into the den and sitting down on the couch.

Gibbs closed the door and locked it. He went into the study and found the bourbon. He needed a glass or two after today.

Maddy finally lifted her head from her aunt's shoulder. She saw the swollen bloody cheek and the ripped shirt. Jenny swallowed hard. "Honey, were you…?"

"No, no," she answered, shaking her head. "Almost. In the struggle, I was able to call L.J., and he got there before anything else could happen."

She let out a sigh of relief. "You need ice on that," she spoke softly, cupping her niece's face and turning her head to see the damage better.

"I want to take a shower and throw these clothes away." Madison slipped off the couch and took her uncle's coat off, throwing it onto the sofa.

Jenny nodded her head. "I'll come up and check on you," she called out as Madison left the room. She pushed herself up from the couch and went into the study, leaning against the doorframe and watching Jethro pour another glass of bourbon.

"Thank you, Jethro."

He nodded his head, knocking back the alcohol.

She sighed and walked to him, putting her hands on his back. "About earlier…"

He tensed. Did he really want to know what she had to say? There was a part of him that didn't want to listen to her. For their sake, he knew he needed to hear her out.

She rubbed his shoulders softly. "Jethro, I didn't want to leave you. You wanted a wife. I wasn't ready. I realized that I wasn't ready to be a wife after making the commitment. There was so much I hadn't done…that I wanted to do. I didn't think I could do it with…" She sighed.

"Did you know when you left me?"

"I didn't know I was pregnant until a month or two after leaving. I wasn't sure if I wanted it. By the time I realized I did, it was too late. The baby was gone. I went back to work, but I was a mess."

He turned around and looked at her, searching her eyes for the truth. He saw she was still holding back.

"What else aren't you telling me, Jenny?"

"I came back…to D.C. to tell you. I sat in front of your house for an hour. I went inside and waited in the basement for a half hour before I thought it was a bad, stupid idea. I left."

He remembered the exact day. It was December. He thought he was losing his mind at the scent of her perfume in his basement. In the months after her leaving, he felt as if she were only a memory. He took a deep breath and stared at her.

She looked up at him.

"You should have stayed."

"I know." She took the glass from his hand and set it onto the desk. "From here on out, no more secrets, Jethro. We have a second chance."

Jethro stared, admiring the view. She had leaned around him to put the tumbler of bourbon on the desk. The bit of black lace and ample cleavage enthralled him. He tugged on the tie of her robe to get her attention. She raised an eyebrow at him. He grinned mischievously, twisting the tie around in his hand.

"You were a knight in shining armor and expect a reward."

"Uh huh," he said, taking a few steps back and sitting down on the desk. He pulled her to him by the tie of her robe.

She slipped her arms around his neck. "What are you expecting?"

"I'm an old fashioned guy." He pushed open the robe and rested his hands on her hips.

Jenny laughed at him as she stood between his legs. "You can't be old fashioned. You'll have to be creative," she whispered, scratching the back of his head with her nails.

"I can handle that." He leaned in, kissing her throat and trailing kisses along her collarbone. Her breath hitched when his kisses went lower. He stopped and glanced at her face, sly grin coming over his features.

"Dangerous territory, Jethro."

He smirked. He liked dangerous. He grazed his thumb over her nipple and watched her bite her lip. He slipped his hand inside, palming her breast.

"Jeth…" she gasped, unable to finish his name. Her hormones made every sense heightened. Jenny tilted her head back, closing her eyes as he molded her with his hands. She didn't protest when he started pushing away the spaghetti straps. He mumbled something about too much clothing and took in the sight. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon and poured the amber liquid into the tumbler. She hadn't noticed his actions. She was too lost in the sensations of his calloused hands.

"Keep your eyes closed."

"Jethro, what…what are you…"

"Shh," he whispered with a ragged edge, watching her was torturing him. He placed his index finger over her lips. "I'm being creative."

Her eyes darted open when she felt liquid being poured onto her bare skin. Rivulets of bourbon trickled down into the valley between her breasts. She was lost in moans when his mouth covered her chest, lapping up the bourbon. She felt the tension building within her. Her slender fingers tightened around the collar of his shirt. She was powerless against the shockwaves moving through her. When she returned from cloud nine, she felt as if she'd been turned inside out. She lifted her head from his shoulder, kissing his neck.

Jethro was speechless. He understood what she'd meant about dangerous territory. He could feel her body still humming from his actions.

"I want you with me this time," she murmured against his neck. Her hand trailed down his stomach. She unzipped his slacks, sliding her hand gently. She nipped at his ear. "In the bedroom."

He groaned with a nod of his head. He hated to remove her hand from him. If she kept doing what she was doing, they wouldn't make it to the bedroom. He lifted her into his arms and laughed when she squealed from the surprise. He carried her to the bedroom and placed her on the bed, undressing to get lost in the ivory skin of his wife.


	16. Chapter 16

A week later, McGee was still overwhelmed by the information he'd learned from Facebook. He had been curious about Madison Davis. After looking through her photo albums, he had the answers to the questions asked and theories discussed daily by his teammates. He knew she was Director Shepard's niece, transferred to Georgetown, and was a military brat. He needed to tell someone. He looked at the empty desks around him and left for Abby's lab. There were perks to being early.

Abby was in the process of settling into her lab. She started up the music and drained some of her Caff-Pow as she turned and jumped at the unexpected sight of McGee. "McGee!" she shrieked.

"Abby, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." She had been waiting for it. He acted like he had something on his mind all week.

McGee sat down at the desk and stared at the computer. How could he tell her? He felt dirty knowing the information. Also, he felt like he would be killed if he said a word.

"Timmy, talk. Spit it out," she urged. "Here," she shoved her Caff-Pow at him. "This will help."

He shook his head. "What I'm going to tell you…you can't tell anyone. Not even Gibbs."

"Is it about Gibbs?"

McGee nodded his head.

"Ooh! Tell me!"

"You know how everyone's been wondering what's going on between Gibbs and the Director."

Abby quickly nodded her head and plopped down on a chair, wheeling close to McGee. "How do you know?"

"I don't know what happened, but he received a phone call and asked me to get a location. I could only give him the general area. He called back and wanted to know if I knew what Facebook was."

Abby's laughter interrupted him. Gibbs didn't know what YouTube was yet he knew about Facebook. She caught the look from McGee. She waved her hand about as she sucked on her drink, continuing him.

"He gave me the name, and I looked her up." He went to Facebook, logged in, and searched. Abby leaned in, looking at the profile.

"Who is she?"

"Director Shepard's niece."

"The Director has a niece?"

McGee held up two fingers.

"Two!" Abby exclaimed and hit McGee on the shoulder.

"Abby! Calm down! There's more."

"More? I can't handle this!"

He took the Caff-Pow away from her and stood up. "Sit and look at her page."

Abby glared at him for taking her drink, but she sat down. She scanned over the general information and was impressed. McGee spun around in the chair and patiently waited for Abby's reaction. He glanced over as she began looking through photo albums. "Awwww, she's adorable," she said of McKenzie. "And the puppy! McGee! Look," she turned the monitor and pointed to the screen.

"Yes, Abby, I've seen the puppy wearing an elf hat."

"It's cute! Say it's cute."

"It's cute."

"Coulda put more effort into it. I'll let it slide."

He remembered the photo arrangement and waited. He knew what picture she'd land on soon enough.

"Aunt Jen and Uncle L.J.!" she exclaimed. "Does that…they're…OH MY GOD, TIMMY! Gibbs and Director Shepard…I mean Director Gibbs…wait, do we have…no, that sounds weird. Are they really? How? When? I need answers!"

McGee waited for her to take a breath. "I don't know, Abby." He scooted over to the computer and logged out. "You cannot say a word."

She pouted. She thought she knew everything about Gibbs, but she was wrong. He had a whole other life with nieces, puppies, and who knew what else. "I promise I won't say a word."

He kissed her on the cheek and left the lab. Abby quickly logged back in and snooped around more.

Hours later, McGee was not expecting to see the brunette step off the elevator with Gibbs. He quickly went back to his computer screen while Tony stared. Ziva looked over her shoulder to see and looked at Tony. "Stop staring," she whispered harshly.

Tony wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at her. He watched the pair avoid the bullpen. The avoidance heightened DiNozzo's curiosity more. McGee kept quiet. He would die if he told Tony. Gibbs had explained to Madison that her aunt was running behind, so she would get a tour of NCIS. She made a face at her uncle as they walked.

"Do we have to go to autopsy first?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"You need to meet Ducky."

"Oh, I can put a name with a face."

Gibbs nodded. "He can tell you about the first time Jenny observed in autopsy."

Madison laughed and followed him. She found Ducky to be delightful and enjoyed the many stories he told. There were plenty of stories to hear about her aunt. Next, Gibbs took her to Abby's lab. She raised an eyebrow at the music playing. Her uncle shrugged his shoulders and yelled at Abby. She didn't hear. He unplugged the speakers. "Abs," he yelled.

She quickly turned around. "Gibbs!" she squealed, hugging him. "What brings you here so early?"

"A tour."

The forensic specialist groaned. "No. I don't care who it is. I'm too busy."

He gave her a look. Madison cleared her throat from behind him. "I don't have to see the lab."

Abby leaned over and stared at the girl as she recognized her. "OH! You're…"

"Abby," Gibbs spoke cautiously.

She looked at him, remembering McGee's words. "Someone I don't know."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and muttered. He should have known McGee would tell Abby.

Abby looked sheepishly at him. "Don't be mad," she whispered to him.

"I'm what?" Madison asked, staring at the two.

"Director Shepard's niece."

She nodded her head. "I am. I'd rather you call me Madison or Maddy."

"Done," Abby answered with a smile. She liked her.

While showing off all her toys in the lab, Gibbs' phone rang. He answered and hung up. He looked at Madison. "Stay here. Don't go anywhere."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"Autopsy. You're supposed to be with an agent or someone at all times. You're a visitor."

"You mean exceptions to the rules aren't made for the Director's niece?" she asked with a grin.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and walked out of the lab. "Stay with Abby!"

Quickly, Abby turned to the young girl. "So…"

Madison raised an eyebrow. "You have questions."

"Tons!"

She laughed softly. "How'd you know who I was?"

Abby looked down to her black boots. "McGee told me. Gibbs got him to find where you were that way."

"Oh," Maddy let out softly.

"You were in trouble."

"That was a rough night…for me."

"What are you doing here today?"

"I made an A+ on a paper, and Aunt Jen feels the need to make a big deal about it. No idea what she has in mind for the rest of the day."

Abby nodded her head and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the more private area of the lab. Madison sat down and watched the Goth pace in front of her while draining a Caff-Pow.

"Are Gibbs and the Director together?"

Madison nodded her head.

"How together?"

"Married together."

Abby almost dropped her precious Caff-Pow. "When?"

She was answered with a shrug. "I don't know the exact date, but I've had an uncle I didn't know about since I was six or seven years old. It's complicated."

Abby shook her head. Of course, it would be complicated. Gibbs never did anything easy. "He's a sly one. I had no idea. Not that he talks much but that's Gibbs. Wait, you know he doesn't talk much."

Madison laughed. "I know. He keeps the coffee coming when I'm up late studying."

"You should try Caff-Pow!" Abby scribbled down where it was sold and gave the slip of paper to her.

She stuck it into her pocket.

"It's great. Gibbs and the Director. Jethro and Jenny. Jenny and Gibbs. Jibbs!"

"Jibbs?"

"Like Brangelina…but better because it's Gibbs and Director Shepard."

Madison giggled and shook her head. "Aunt Jen would die if she knew we were talking about this right now."

Abby laughed with her. She knew both were extremely private people yet Madison was an open book. A half hour later, they were chatting and laughing when Jenny entered the lab. Abby stood up and smiled. "Director," she greeted.

"Thank you for keeping her from being bored."

"L.J. deserted me," Madison said dryly, turning around in the chair to face her aunt.

"Break in a case," she explained. "And it's Agent Gibbs, Madison."

Madison rolled her eyes. "Aunt Jen, Abby knows."

Jenny looked to Abby who nodded her head with a huge smile on her face. "Oh, you…know."

She noticed the look on her aunt's face. "It's not the end of the world. Hell hasn't frozen over either."

Abby quickly nodded her head and hugged Director Shepard tightly. "It's so great!"

"Easy, Abby," Jen spoke gently as she returned the hug.

"Oh, right!" Abby eased the tightness of the hug and released her. She took a few steps back.

Jenny smiled at her. "Thank you, Abby." She looked at Madison. "Ready to go?"

"I guess considering I don't even know where we are going."

She rolled her eyes at her niece. "You'll love it."

"Don't. I don't want any hints. I hate your hints."

Abby tried not to laugh. She was enjoying seeing a different side of the Director. Gibbs came back into the lab, and he smiled at the sight of Jenny. Abby took notice and wanted to squeeze them both to death. She'd always wanted them to be together. They were perfection in her opinion. He walked over to them. Jenny turned to him.

"We were about to leave."

He nodded, sipping his coffee. "Coming back?"

"No. I cleared my afternoon." She wasn't going to tell him her blood pressure was a little high earlier.

He watched Madison walk over to Abby and exchange phone numbers. Jenny nodded her head and looked over her shoulder at Madison and Abby. "Did McGee tell Abby?"

Gibbs nodded. "Maddy filled in the blanks."

"They were going to find out sooner or later."

"I know, Jen." He updated her on the case and threw his coffee cup into the garbage. "I'll see you at home."

She nodded her head, fixing the collar of his shirt. He smirked. She smoothed it out and grinned at him. "You love me taking care of you. Don't act like you hate it."

He kissed her forehead. "I do."

Abby couldn't help herself. "You're so cute!"

Gibbs cleared his throat. He had momentarily forgotten they were in the lab. She grinned at them.

Madison rolled her eyes. "Stay at the house, and you'll get sick of them, especially if they get into a fight."

"Madison Hope," Jenny admonished.

She smiled sweetly. "Honesty is the best policy."

Gibbs shook his head at her, looking at his watch. "You two need to go if you're going to get there on time."

"Not fair! L.J. knows what we're doing, and I don't."

Jenny pulled her by the arm. She waved goodbye to Abby and thanked her for the music recommendations. Gibbs kissed Abby on the cheek before leaving the lab. He stepped into the elevator with Jenny and Madison.

In the squad room, Tony watched the two women walk across the catwalk and into the Director's office. Moments later, they were exiting the office. He took note that Jenny was leaving for the day. Madison was carrying her briefcase.

"Now, she's with the Director. She was with Gibbs earlier. Who is she?"

Gibbs rested his arms on top of the cubicle and listened to his team as they stood in front of the plasma.

"She's Director Shepard's niece. Mine too," he answered. He walked to his desk and sat down. The team stared at him in shock and silence.


	17. Chapter 17

She was curled on the sofa with the dog at her feet, glasses to the edge of her nose, and name book in her hand. Relaxation would be better if she could have a glass of wine. She heard the key be put into the door and laughed softly when the Collie bounded from the couch and ran to the door, barking.

Jethro leaned down and patted the dog's side. "Hey fella." He was surprised not to see a light on in the study, so he walked into the den. He walked over to the couch and sat down, putting her feet into his lap.

"How'd you know?"

"Jen, you took Madison out to lunch, the salon, and on a shopping spree. The dogs are barking."

She shoved her foot into the side of his thigh, rolling her eyes.

"Be nice or I won't paint them."

"You don't have to. Wait, does the pedicure look bad?"

He laughed, popping her pinky toe. She rolled her eyes at him and shifted to get more comfortable. "Your eyes will get stuck that way."

"Jethro, shut up and rub my feet."

He obliged and noticed her making checkmarks in the book. "Progress?"

She made a face. "Some of these are terrible."

Jethro laughed and started on her ankles.

"I'm finding more girl names that I like than boy names."

"Could always name him after me."

"Oh god, NO," Madison chimed in as she passed through.

Her uncle threw a pillow at her. She dodged it and threw it back at him. "Don't you have some place to be?" Jethro asked.

"Nope." Madison grinned at him and decided she would do more than pass through the den. She could have plenty of quality annoying L.J. time since he was home early.

He looked at Jenny. She raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do?"

"Tell her not to throw pillows at me."

"Aunt Jen, he started it!"

She looked at both of them, turning a page and muttering something about a glass of wine. Madison laughed and flopped down in the floor, whistling for Chase. The dog was in absolute heaven when Madison started rubbing behind his ears.

"Okay. I'm here to lend my services," Madison said after moments of silence.

"Services?" Jethro asked as he made a second round of massaging Jenny's feet.

"Helping with baby naming. I'm an expert."

Jenny remained quiet. She wasn't getting involved for several reasons. She was enjoying the foot rub and the fact Madison could give her uncle hell. Jethro looked at her and looked at Madison. "How?"

"I named my little sister."

"Whatcha got?" He asked. Why not give it a try? So far, he and Jenny hadn't been able to find anything they liked.

"I don't have the book."

"Oh, by all means, Madison." She handed over the baby name book and scooted closer to Jethro, snuggling into his side.

Madison grabbed a notepad and pen. She scribbled down names every so often. Jenny shrugged her shoulders and put Jethro's arm around her.

"I was about to," he whispered. He realized she was in a clingy mood tonight and kissed her.

"Better."

He smiled at her and turned on the television. The remote was quickly snatched when he breezed by a show Jenny wanted to watch. He frowned. It was going to be a Lifetime night.

During a commercial break, Madison moved to the couch and dropped down next to her aunt. "Ready?"

Jethro squinted at the remote and pressed mute.

"So boy names: Andrew, Seth, Wyatt, Carter, Nolan, Jacob, Luke, Landon, Oliver," she glared when she was interrupted by Gibbs.

"Oliver?"

"Be quiet, Leroy."

Madison continued on. "Ethan, Evan, Matthew, Nicholas, Isaac, and Levi."

"It's a start," Jenny commented, looking at her husband.

He nodded, deciding silence was best.

Madison rolled her eyes and wondered if her cousins would ever have names. She cleared her throat and started reading the girl names. "Alaina, Grace, Charlotte, Skyler, Emerson, Olivia, Avery, Emily, London," she continued on.

Jenny and Jethro had stopped paying attention as soon as London was mentioned. Jethro nudged her gently and winked at her. He whispered in her ear. "Good times."

"Which time?"

He smirked. "All of it. That pub we went to. In the bathroom. The way you," he was shushed as a finger came over his lips. She blushed and grinned wickedly as she remembered.

Madison cleared her throat loudly. "Excuse me."

"You're still here?" Jethro asked.

Madison smirked and put the notepad on the coffee table. "My work here is done."

"It's not. Order a pizza. Pepperoni. Extra cheese," he told her.

She rolled her eyes and left the room.

"And breadsticks," he hollered to her.

"Jethro, if you go to the kitchen and get a beer, I'll hurt you." She knew he loved the combination of pizza and beer; she preferred pizza and wine together.

He sighed and brushed the exact thought away. She had been on a kick. If she couldn't have something, he couldn't either.

"And don't ask about me doing what I did in London tonight either."

He tried to hide his look of disappointment. He kissed the side of her head. "After those six weeks."

"Maybe," she said, rubbing his chest. "Jethro, we need to talk."

"About?"

"I'm taking maternity leave at 28 weeks. Leon Vance will be Acting Director."

"No, Jenny. That son of a bitch. He still owes me for a cheese Danish."

"It's not an option. He's Assistant Director now."

"Can't you wait to take it?"

"No, Jethro. My maternity leave starts at 28 weeks. Doctor's orders."

He nodded. "Alright. I'll suck it up."

"Good."

"But I won't be happy about it, Jen."

"I wouldn't expect any less, Jethro," she replied with sarcasm, pushing herself up from the couch.

"Hey Jen."

She turned around and looked at him as she rubbed her stomach to ease the gymnastics.

"What if I took your place?"

She nearly doubled over from laughing.

He rested his head on the back of the couch until she finished laughing. He never thought the laughter would end.

"No. SecNav does not want you as Acting Director. Besides, you'll be with me for most of my leave."

"I'd do a good job, Jen."

"Jethro, if you make me laugh anymore, I may pee on myself."

He got up, following her out of the room. "You don't think so?"

"You're a great agent. The best. We both know your approach to politics is not the best way."

"Jen, you gotta break a few eggs sometimes."

"That's my point."

"I don't know why you gave up being an agent. You were damn good, Jen. Still are when you do get in the field. I could do what you do."

He received silence from her. He followed her into the kitchen and rested his arms on the refrigerator door when she opened it. "You're not going to say anything?"

She shook her head no.

"Why not?"

"I'm finished with this discussion, Jethro. You're the only one still discussing." She opened the drawer and found what she needed. Noemi would have to pick up more for her.

He closed the door when she was finished plundering in the fridge. "Jen."

Jenny sighed, exasperated. "What?" She peeled back the top of the pudding and licked the chocolate off the top.

"I'll be good when you're gone." He watched her intently.

Jenny nearly dropped the chocolate pudding covered spoon in her mouth as she stared at him. "You'll be good? Jethro, you don't know how to play well with others. I've been preparing myself for the calls from Leon bitching about you. I know I won't have peace during my leave."

He stepped in front of her and took the pudding cup, setting it on the counter. "I'll do my best," he said with conviction. He began kissing her neck.

She moaned slightly but pushed him away. "Don't get me worked up."

He buried his face into her shoulder. "You're killing me, Jenny. Killing me."

"You try being pregnant with twins and have someone wanting to shove one more…"

Jethro was grateful for the doorbell ringing and Madison yelling about the arrival of pizza. It had stopped Jenny's not in the mood rant. He had forgotten how the mood swings could be. Tonight, she had gone from clingy to bitchy. He wanted her to get back to clingy. If not, it would be a bumpy night for him.

He left her in the kitchen and went to the foyer, paying for the pizza. "Get the drinks," he told Maddy, taking the boxes into the den. Jethro was not setting foot back into the kitchen. Madison could step into the dangerous territory.

Madison entered the kitchen, glancing at her aunt sitting at the kitchen table. She opened the fridge and grabbed a diet Dr. Pepper, a beer, and a Mountain Dew out. Jenny noticed the drink choices. What was the point of getting a Diet Dr. Pepper for her?

"Do not give Jethro a beer."

"Why not?"

"Madison, do not. Put the diet back. It's pointless."

"Umm, okay," she said sheepishly and put the beer back into the fridge. "Are you having a mood swing?"

"I am not having a mood swing!"

"I think so," Madison mumbled, putting the diet drink back and grabbing two regular cans of Dr. Pepper. She closed the door of the refrigerator with her foot.

Jenny glared at her and threw the pudding cup into the garbage. She followed her niece into the den and sat down next to Jethro. He glanced at her as he took a bite of pizza.

"You're gonna sit by me?"

She rolled her eyes and took a slice of pizza. Madison put three slices on her plate and a few breadsticks. "I think I'm gonna eat upstairs."

"It's safer that way," Jethro commented with his mouthful of pepperoni pizza.

Jenny elbowed him sharply in his side. He winced and swallowed down his food, scooting closer to the end of the sofa.

He had Madison's sympathy as she left the room. The two ate in silence. Jethro glanced over at her occasionally. She put her empty plate on the coffee table and looked at him.

"How about Ryan Jackson for our son?"

He raised an eyebrow. Was she back to normal? Her tone was even. She hadn't elbowed him, but he had moved away from her.

"I like it, Jen."

Jethro scooted closer to her, smiling when she made the same effort. The mood swing had passed. She took a napkin and wiped pizza sauce from the corner of his mouth.

"I liked Charlotte," he admitted.

"I did too. What about Emerson for her middle name?"

He nodded.

She smiled at him. "Ryan and Charlotte."

"Let's not tell Maddy."

"Deal," she agreed with a laugh.

He loved pushing Madison's buttons. She was easy to rile. He removed the blanket from the back of the couch and moved to the end. "C'mere," he said.

Jenny stood up and settled against him. She put her head against his shoulder and moved to get comfortable. "Sorry," she apologized for elbowing him in the stomach.

"Got that nest built yet?"

She pinched his cheek and stopped moving. He put the blanket over her and kissed the top of her head. The two snuggled up to watch the next movie coming on Lifetime. He'd never let her know he actually enjoyed some of the movies played on the channel.


	18. Chapter 18

Jethro followed behind her, carrying her briefcase along with a cup of coffee. She hadn't figured out why he was being so nice. He'd brought her breakfast in bed that he cooked himself and left no mess in the kitchen for Noemi to clean.

Jenny held the abused door of her office open for him. She watched him put her briefcase down, turn her computer on, and pull out her chair. "Jethro," she said.

He stopped feeling the back of her chair and looked in her direction. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Checking the back support of your chair." He sat down in her chair and wiggled around.

She raised both eyebrows as she watched him squirm around in the desk chair. "Jethro. Stop."

He stopped and got up from the chair, walking over to her. "I don't think it's got enough lumbar support."

Jenny watched him walk to the sofa in her office and grab a pillow. He put it in the chair and motioned for her to sit down. "Don't take all day, Jen."

He wasn't shocked by her eye roll and held the chair out for her, watching her ease down to sit. "How's that?"

"It's fine, Jethro."

"You sure? I think you need a whole new chair."

She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on from dealing with an overly attentive Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "Why?"

"You're starting to feel the effects of pregnancy."

Slowly, Jenny turned her head and tilted her face up to stare at him. Did he really just say that to her? "Starting to feel the effects, Jethro?"

"Yeah, Jen. That's what I said."

"Jethro, I'm not just beginning. I _have_ felt the effects. I forbid you to read any more pregnancy books."

He shrugged his shoulders and sat down on her desk. She pushed the chair back and stood up, standing in front of him.

"Why are you being so nice this morning?"

Gibbs guzzled down more of his coffee and set the cup down. "I'm always nice."

She shook her head. "With a motive behind it."

"Nah. Not today."

His other half stared, reading him. She put her hands on his shoulders, tilting her head to the side. Jethro furrowed his brows at her. He laughed, shaking his head. She laughed with him.

"I want to make sure you're comfortable in your last two weeks of work, Jenny," he explained, putting his hands on either side of her belly.

"Jethro, that's sweet but impossible." She put a hand against his neck and leaned in, kissing him.

He returned the kiss, grinning. "It's not impossible."

Jenny nodded with a smirk forming on her features. "It's what you do. You're a troublemaker, Jethro."

"I promise to make as little trouble as possible." He craned his neck towards the outer officer. "Cynthia's here."

"Is that your cue?"

Gibbs glanced at his watch. "Yeah. Team's probably getting in." He stole another kiss from her before strolling to the door. "Hey Jen."

"Yes?" She glanced at him as she sat down, adjusting the pillow behind her back.

"I'm moving in this weekend."

Before she could give her thoughts, he was out of her sight. She bit her bottom lip and swallowed hard. Why was the prospect of Jethro moving in causing her anxiety?

They were married. They should be living together, but the couple had only played house before. Some wouldn't call shacking up in foreign countries as playing house. Jenny blew out a deep breath and shook her head, picking up her phone and dialing. She didn't care about the time.

After several rings, Laura answered the phone. "Hello," she responded groggily.

"I need to talk."

"What's wrong?" her older sister asked, sitting up and looking at the clock. "Is everything okay?"

"Jethro wants to move in."

Jenny huffed into the phone when she heard laughter. "Laura!"

Laura's laughter subsided as she shook her head. "Jenny, really? What's the big deal?"

"Was I not clear the first time?"

"You were. For Christ's sake, you're married to him! Are you forgetting you're pregnant by him too? Jenny, you are being ridiculous."

"I am not," she mumbled.

"You are. I'm surprised he hasn't moved in before now. What's he been doing? Sleeping over?"

Jenny was second-guessing her decision to call her sister.

"Does he bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor or do you actually allow him into your bed?"

"I'm going to hang up."

"Okay. I'll stop teasing. Jenny, let him move in. I'd tell you to take baby steps, but you've never ever done that. Full speed ahead always. You're going to need him. You'll want him coming home and driving you crazy every second. You may not appreciate it, but you'll kick yourself for him not making the decision sooner."

"Shouldn't it have been discussed first?"

Laura rubbed her forehead. "Oh my God, Jennifer…no! He's your husband. You are his wife. When is that going to sink in? The two of you need to start acting like a married couple. Don't even ask me how that's done. You're smart. You'll figure it out. Now, stop over analyzing. I love you."

"I guess I love you too."

"You do. You wouldn't have called me if you hadn't wanted to hear what I was going to say. Give Maddy a hug and a kiss for me."

"I will. Give Kenzie love from me, please. Wait, why weren't you awake when I called? It's 7 AM."

"Kenzie's sick. She's had a fever since last night, so she's getting a sick day."

"Oh no. I hope she feels better soon."

Laura nodded her head. "I need to check on her. Jen, if you need anything else, call me."

"I will. Love you," she hung up the phone and sighed. It was time to get her day started. She smiled at Cynthia when she entered the office with a grin and a cup of tea. Cynthia went over the schedule with Director Shepard and alerted her of the changes. It would be another busy day for her.

The team had caught a case before lunch, and she hadn't seen much of her troublemaker. For the rest of the week, Jethro hadn't caused any problems at work. There were no messes to be cleaned up. Maybe he would make things easy until Jenny's maternity leave, and she had accepted the fact she'd be sharing a home with him.

On Friday, Director Shepard dreaded the hours she'd spend in MTAC. Cynthia hadn't been able to find any wiggle room in the schedule. Jenny didn't mind MTAC, but Gibbs asked her to lunch outside of the office. He wasn't coerced into asking. Now, she would barely have a half hour lunch break. A half hour wasn't enough time to leave the office.

Gibbs returned from a coffee run and jogged up the stairs. He strode into the office and stared at Cynthia as he held two cups in his hand. "Where is she?"

"MTAC."

He glanced at his watch. "But she has a five minute break."

Director Shepard's loyal secretary nodded. "She does."

Gibbs stared. He knew there was something Cynthia wasn't telling him.

Cynthia frowned and looked at Special Agent Gibbs. "Director Shepard isn't coming to the office during her five minute break."

"Why not?" he asked, frustrated. Jenny knew he'd be bringing her tea. She'd been craving it like crazy. He didn't know what she found appealing about the vanilla and orchid infused black tea considering he'd spit it out after trying the tea.

"She said she couldn't get up within five minutes, so she'd stay in MTAC," Cynthia said hurriedly. It had been a mood swing filled morning.

Jethro rolled his eyes and walked out, stopping in front of the eye scan. He walked into the room and sat down next to Jenny, dropping her tea into the cup holder. "Your frilly tea, Director."

"Thank you, Jethro," she said with a smile.

He took a gulp of his coffee and glanced at her. "Can't get up in five, huh?"

"Shut up. I'm the size of a bus today."

"Do we need to paint you yellow?"

She glared at him. "Jethro, are you agreeing?

He laughed and leaned in to whisper, "You're not the size of a bus. You better get out of that by the time I take you to lunch."

"About lunch…"

"You can't go."

Jenny shook her head. "I only have a half hour for lunch."

Gibbs nodded. "We'll do dinner."

The redhead's green eyes rose in surprise as she drank her tea. "What have you done with my husband?"

He snickered. "He's right here."

She smiled at him and wished she could kiss him. "Okay."

"Director," a voice from the side of the room called, alerting her of a minute left in the break.

Jenny sighed heavily. "Back to work." She sipped her tea and groaned at the thought of another hour dealing with counterintelligence. Jethro subtly squeezed her hand and stood, helping her up. With a reassuring smile, he left MTAC.

At 1830, she was finished with her day in MTAC. There had been a few she wanted to go through the screen and strangle. Her fuse was shorter thanks to the pregnancy hormones. She peered down into the squad room and didn't see Gibbs and DiNozzo. Maybe Jethro wouldn't be chasing a lead all night. Jenny would wait for him. He had understood about her lack of a lunch hour. Cynthia waited for her to settle into the office before entering with a cup of tea and a copy of The Stars and Stripes.

"Here's your tea and an untouched copy of The Stars and Stripes," Cynthia told her.

"You are a God send, Cynthia."

"Thank you, ma'am. Do you need anything else?"

"No calls. No one in except Agent Gibbs. I'm done for the day. You may go home whenever you like."

The younger woman nodded her head and left the office. She wouldn't leave until Agent Gibbs came into sight. The secretary could use the extra time to rearrange Director Shepard's schedule for Monday.

Jenny took a drink from the cup and put on her reading glasses before rubbing the side of her belly. She smiled gently as the rubbing eased the kicking. "Thank you," she whispered, picking up the paper.

Within minutes, the Director of NCIS found the earmark left by Cynthia. A grin of pleasure formed on Jenny's lips as she read the notice of Hollis Mann's retirement. She put her cup down on the desk and grinned more. She was glad the Lieutenant Colonel had served her country for twenty-two years but couldn't wait for the rival female to retire to the Hawaiian island of Lanai.

Gibbs entered the outer office and waved to Cynthia, letting her know she could go home. He didn't bother knocking and came into the office in his typical fashion. Jenny quickly closed the newspaper, folded it, and put it to the side. She removed her glasses and smiled at Jethro.

"You ready to go?"

"I am."

He eliminated the space between them and stared down at the paper. "Anything interesting, Jen?"

"No," she answered as she pushed herself up to stand.

"Uh huh." Jethro knew Hollis' notice of retirement was in the issue thanks to DiNozzo's big mouth. He wouldn't mention it. He wanted a peaceful night out with his wife.

She turned to him, smoothing out the collar of his burgundy polo. Sometimes she couldn't truly believe she had him. To him, Jenny had never lost him. She cupped the side of his face, stroking his cheek. Jethro smiled that smile that always melted her. He took her hand and kissed the palm. They shut down the office and headed out for the weekend, not knowing this was the calm before another storm.


	19. Chapter 19

Gibbs hadn't been to his house since last weekend. He'd learned Madison was a complainer when it came to helping pack and move boxes. Jenny was not happy with the chaos his belongings had caused in her home. There were unpacked boxes lining the hallway and his clothes were littered across the bedroom. Why was everything everywhere? She was too busy to make room for him in the closet. Noemi couldn't return from her vacation soon enough to sort everything out.

Jenny returned home with her niece and carried several bags upstairs. She never thought she'd feel fully prepared for the twins' arrival. She knew she wasn't ready for the labor and delivery. "Jethro," she called out as she started the stairs.

"In here!" He hollered back.

What was he doing in the nursery? She stepped into the nursery with a crunch. "Jeth—" The redhead looked down and around her. A plastic tarp was covering the hardwood floor. There were several paint cans in the middle of the room, and Jethro was taping around the windows.

"I didn't know you were going to start painting today."

"Better now than when they're here, Jen." He looked to her, flashing a grin.

She shook her head. "Bastard," she whispered, setting the bags down.

Gibbs noticed her looking at the paint cans. "I got the right colors, Yorktowne green and Georgetown pink beige." His nose crinkled when he said the last color choice. He didn't understand accent colors. If it weren't for the accent color, he wouldn't have to spend so much time taping.

Jenny rolled her eyes. It was hard to choose colors to suit a boy and a girl. In her opinion, the Georgetown pink beige wasn't too pink, and the green was a unisex color. She walked over to him and rubbed his shoulders. "Well, I suppose I'll let you get started, and I'll get out of here. Do you want me to send Maddy in here to help?"

"No. No," he answered with a fierce shake of his head. "She can stay out of here."

She laughed and massaged his neck. "I've changed my mind about the names."

"Me too."

Jenny was stunned. He turned around and looked at her. "I want our girl to be named after Kate. It can be the middle name," he told her.

She smiled. "I was thinking the same thing. I like Emilie with Caitlin." In a strange way, Special Agent Caitlin Todd's death had brought them together. They learned familiarity between them still existed, and it felt like second nature sitting in Gibbs' basement discussing a case with him that night. She and Gibbs would have had this sooner if she hadn't put the walls up and pushed him away.

"Our son?"

"Still thinking."

"Get outta here and go think. I got work to do."

"You're in fine bastard form today, Jethro."

He grinned. "Uh huh. Get outta here, Jen."

A few minutes later, he was calling her name. She rolled her eyes and answered from the master bedroom. "What, Jethro?"

"We still on for our date?" he asked, using a screwdriver to pop open the paint can.

"Yes, we are."

Gibbs smiled. He wasn't taking her anywhere fancy. Their date would be Chinese take out, boat, and sand paper. First, he needed to finish painting the nursery. While he painted, Jenny settled herself into the study and worked on paperwork.

Hours later, Madison bolted down the stairs. Chase was hot on her heels, jumping and barking. She laughed at the Collie and knelt down. "You're not going with me."

"Maddy, where are you going?"

"To dinner with Abby and McGee. I mean…if that's okay."

Her aunt nodded her head. "That's fine."

"Aren't you and L.J. going out?"

Jenny smirked. "If you count going to his house eating take out and working on the boat as out, yes."

Madison shook her head. "He's such a romancer."

She laughed. "That's my Gibbs."

"Bye Aunt Jen."

"Bye Madison. Be careful!"

She heard the door close and listened to Chase's paws hit the floor as he came into the study. "She'll be back," she cooed to the dog as he put his head on her thigh. He soon flopped down next to her chair.

Jethro finished with painting, took a shower, and changed into his knockabout clothes. He jogged down the stairs and stopped in the doorway of the study. Jenny looked at him, and he motioned for her to come to him.

"All finished?" she asked and received silence. She thought he looked handsome in his jeans and battered Washington Redskins t-shirt over a black long sleeve shirt. "I see you got all dressed up for me."

He smirked and continued up the stairs. "For your inspection," he said, waving his hand to the nursery. For several minutes, Jethro watched her walk around and inspect his handiwork.

Jenny turned to face him, smiling. She gave him her seal of approval with a kiss on the lips. "I'll go change. I have a hot date tonight."

"Too bad I can't get ya drunk, come back home, and take advantage."

She patted him on the cheek hard. "You can't get me drunk, but you can take me home. I may allow you to take advantage."

As she left the room, he grinned like an idiot. He must have done a helluva good job with the painting. She stole one of his sweatshirts and joined him downstairs. "We aren't taking the truck. Are we?"

He frowned, throwing his keys back into the bowl on the table.

"You'd need a crane to get me in there."

Jethro rolled his eyes. "Jenny."

"Jethro," she mimicked his disapproving tone. She tosses her car keys to him and opened the door, walking out.

He rolled his eyes and looked at the dog. "It'll only get worse." Chase put his paws over his head and watched his male owner walk out and close the door behind him. At Gibbs' former home, they went inside. He turned on the lights and went down to the basement to get started on the boat as Jenny ordered the food. After ordering, she checked the mail, grabbed the six-pack of beer from the fridge, and went to the basement.

"Jethro, are you going to change your address?"

"What for? I'll work on the boat. I can get the mail then."

She nodded and handed him a beer.

"Jen, get the sandpaper and start working."

"I will when I'm ready."

He propped himself on the frame of the boat and stared at his wife. She raised an eyebrow, glaring at him. He laughed and went back to sanding.

"Hey. Favor?"

Gibbs looked and left the basement. He returned a few minutes later and handed her an open can of Coke. He made a second trip when he heard a car pull in front of the house. He left to get the Chinese food.

Jenny sat down and began sorting through the mail. Her eyes narrowed when she landed on a certain envelope. It had been innocently sitting in the mailbox for a week. The sender didn't realize Jennifer Shepard would be the one to find it. With her nail, she slit the envelope open and couldn't believe what she was reading. "Jethro!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. Her voice only reached that pitch when she was furious. He hadn't done anything except sort out the take out and take a sip of beer.

"Jenny?"

She threw the card and envelope at him.

Jethro picked it up from the floor and looked at his wife. She was now standing with her arms folded over her chest and tapping her foot. He hated that stance from any female. "What the hell, Jen?"

"Read it," she growled.

He internally groaned as he read the invitation to Hollis Mann's retirement party. Why had she sent it? He knew the answer. The answer was to cause his life hell. Just like all of his other exes.

"You're not going."

"Jenny," he began.

"That's an order, Jethro."

"You don't give orders in a marriage, Jen," he barked.

"Make it a strong suggestion then."

"You aren't Director here."

"I'm your wife, and I don't want you going!"

"You could go with me."

"I? Me? NO." She gritted her teeth as she paced.

"We wouldn't have to stay long."

The flaming redhead stopped in her tracks and stared at him. "I cannot believe you! You want to see her again, Jethro!"

"Dammit, Jenny!" He slammed his beer bottle down on the worktable. "I didn't say that."

"Not in so many words, Jethro!"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, dragging his fingers down his face. "Jenny, I owe her."

"You don't owe her anything!"

Gibbs had felt rotten about the break-up with Hollis. He did her wrong. Like with Stephanie, he owed Hollis Mann closure even though she'd caused Jenny's redheaded temper to shoot through the roof.

Jenny stared at him, realizing what he was thinking. She could slap him as her mind raced with how he might want to give Hollis closure. She took out her phone and called Madison as she briskly walked up the stairs. "Come and get me," she spoke into the phone, leaving a voicemail.

"Jenny," Gibbs hollered at his fleeing spouse.

The redhead stopped at the top of the stairs. "Don't, Jethro. It's quite clear that you want to see Hollis. I'm going home."

"Are you listening to yourself? You're all hormones!"

"Oh, don't you dare, Leroy Jethro Gibbs! I am not all hormones! They are not influencing my reaction! She shouldn't have sent the invitation!"

"Jenny," he called, chasing after her. He grabbed her by the hand. "Stop. Dammit. Stop."

She caught the annoyance in his voice, but she didn't care if he was annoyed. She jerked her hand away from him. "I'm finished, Jethro. You tell me you aren't going, or I'll leave."

"I won't go." He ran back down the stairs and grabbed the invitation. He walked to the base of the stairs and ripped it up into pieces, letting them fall to the floor. "Happy?"

Jenny looked down at the floor and was silent for a few moments. When she looked up, Jethro was standing in front of her. "You aren't going to castrate me. Are you?"

He received his answer with a shake of the head. "Good. Now, will you come back down and finish our date?"

She allowed him to take her hand and lead her down the stairs. The rest of the date was silent until they bumped chopsticks going for the Kung Pao chicken. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, dipping an egg roll into the egg drop soup.

"Don't apologize."

"You're not team leader here, Gibbs."

He smirked and flung some rice at her with the chopsticks.

"Really, Jethro?" She did her best not to laugh. "You're on thin ice with me."

"Hey. I told you I'm not going, Jen."

"You better not, or you'll regret it."

Jethro watched her break an egg roll in half and glance down to his crotch. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He wouldn't cause himself to lose a body part. Unfortunately, Gibbs did not realize how determined an Army blonde could be.


End file.
